Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos
by DiePi
Summary: Sequel to Empathy. The fragile peace in Soul Society is broken by disturbing murders. In the far distance, a forgotten face returns with vengeance. And for one substitue shinigami, sheer desperation waits to greet him. IchiHitsu Sideline GinKira ByaRen
1. Prologue

**Title**: Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos  
**Series**: Sequel to Empathy  
**Author**: Kanon  
**Genre**: Romance/Suspense (Add Fluff/Smut/Mystery/Angst)  
**Rating**: NC-17 (and for a good reason)  
**Pairing**: Kurosaki Ichigo x Hitsugaya Toshiro  
**Disclaimer**: Bleach sovereigns over me, not the other way round.  
**Distribution**: Fanfiction and LJ

**Spoilers**: Soul Society/Arrancar/Hueco Mundo Arc  
**Warnings**: Read the Prologue A/N

**Summary**: The fragile peace in Soul Society is broken by disturbing murders. In the far distance, a forgotten face returns with vengeance. And for one substitue shinigami, sheer desperation waits to greet him.

**Chapter rating**: PG-15 for violence  
**Chapter summary**: The War is over. And now, a new shadow is overcast over Seireitei.

**Dedication**: To my friend K, who I managed to corrupt and introduce the yaoi world, for bearing with my crazy moments and helping me out with the story in many ways.

**Author****'****s Note:** Hello, everyone, this is Kanon/HeukYa.

So here I return again, with a sequel to _Empathy_. The prologue vaguely sums up what happened in the prequel but it would help to have read _Empathy_ before reading this one since there are few references back to the first story.

This story will contain criminal businesses (e.g. murders, etc) and fairly detailed descriptions of mutilated bodies. I will say this now; it is rated M for a reason. If there are any extra warnings needed, it will be added at the beginning of the relevant chapters.

Also, unlike _Empathy_, _Orderly Madness_ takes place in Soul Society so we will be coming across many shinigamis and most importantly, **new pairings** are introduced in this story, the major one being GinxKira. ByaxRen may make their appearances too and hints of ShuuxYumi if the story permits; but the story will be IchixHitsu centric -duh- and very much plot-centred.

On this one, I cannot promise quick updates due to perosnal reasons but I'll do my best. Please R&R because that's what my muses live off and they have been having REALLY tough time; those who read Empathy, you guys have been great with your support, I hope this story is good enough to warrant your effort to feed my muses again.

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**:::::Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos by Kanon Prologue:::::**

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Sometimes unexpected things can happen from a series of unexpected events; that certainly applies to one special relationship between an unusual substitute shinigami and a prodigy captain of Gotei 13.

One simple yet faithful encounter between a female shinigami and a remarkable human boy led to a series of unpredictable events, only to be fuelled by Aizen's unexpected treachery, and it was in amidst of all these chaotic events that Kurosaki Ichigo and Hitsugaya Toshiro first met each other. Back then, their relationship was nothing more than acquaintances.

When Soul Society started to get attacked by Arrancars sometime after the traitors' departure, Gotei 13 hadn't been too surprised; after all, they had more or less foreseen it once they found out about Hougyouku's power. However the power of the Arrancars was certainly more than just a small surprise. They were unexpectedly powerful, one of them strong enough to force the prodigy captain of 10th division to unleash his ultimate zanpaktou technique, risking unknown rebounds.

No one, not even Hitsugaya himself, would have thought one particular after-effect of _Kuroi_ (AN: black) Hyourinmaru possible; empathy. Seeing that his empathic abilities worked on only those with reiatsu and overwhelmed the power-drained captain in shinigami-filled Seireitei, Unohana proposed one treatment option which was definitely more than what Hitsugaya had bargained for; long recovery in the human world at none other than Kusoraki Ichigo's place.

A lot of unpredicted events had taken place over the months but some -or rather, many- would say the most unexpected one is how the relationship between the brash, loud substitute shinigami and the prickly prodigy captain transformed over the course of time.

They certainly would, only if they were aware of the change.

It was the orange-haired teen who first developed unexpected feeling for his charge during the captain's sudden stay at his place. Through the thick of unpredictable hollow and Espada attacks, the feeling grew on the frosty prodigy too, and after much internal debate, Hitsugaya Toshiro finally came to allow himself small comfort and affection in Kurosaki Ichigo's warm embrace. Matsumoto managed to add her own surprise in the mix by walking in on the two during one of their compassionate times, making her the first one to find out about this latest change in their relationship.

There was one event out of all these unexpected incidents that the boy genius had managed to predict: Aizen's discovery of his unusual condition and the interest that would follow, resulting in kidnap of the two shinigamis. And if predicted, the situation can be prepared in advance, at least as much as possible, and this time, it was Aizen who was faced with what he had deemed as impossible consequences as the whole of Gotei 13 arrived in Hueco Mundo in timely manner, the two lovers finally revealing their secret plan. It was not how anyone had expected for the War to begin; nevertheless it was a declaration of war and the two forces clashed in a brutal battle. It was the ultimate war that would decide the fate of both the human world and Soul Society.

When it comes to a war, there is nothing you can take for granted. A war carries too much randomness, too much chaos for anyone to predict anything and one of them is how resolute one can be, be it a shinigami or a human. After an unexpected encounter with Hinamori Momo and a painful farewell, Hitsugaya and Kurosaki were determined more than ever to win against Aizen.

The long and difficult fight against Aizen was over when Hitsugaya resorted to their last move, _Kuroi_ Hyourinmaru, which led to unexpected degeneration of Arrancars and Espads back to their hollow state due to Aizen's death. It was a significant turning point for the rest of Gotei 13 and the war was over, shinigamis standing victorious, with much thanks to a secretive 'stunt' two shinigamis had pulled off.

Drained, tired, sad but happy, the two lovers made their initial recovery at Soul Society before returning to the real world as the icy captain's empathy came back. It wasn't long before Hitsugaya returned to Soul Society, having made relatively speedy recovery, and on the day of the departure, Ichigo got another big surprise (and perhaps, a glimpse of ice sculpture that looked oddly like him) when he found out Urahara, Ishida, Sado, and Inoue had watched their supposed-to-be-private good-byes.

The War was over. Aizen was dead, so was Tousen. Ichimaru had given up his status as a spy and was reinstated as the 3rd division captain. Soul Society started to settle back down again once all empty posts for captains and vice-captains were filled. With Hitsugaya finally back from his nearly a year long vacancy, Gotei 13 was now complete and Soul Society was getting the chance to return to normality at last, something that it had lost since Kurosaki Ichigo's first intrusion.

Or so they thought.

It should have been. After all, the defectors were dead and the Hougouku was destroyed. With all the possible threats gone, all that waited for the shinigamis was the usual hollow attacks and the usual paperwork and in some cases, the usual alcohol-soaked parties.

However it was going to be some time before the life gets peaceful again.

And this time, one substitute shinigami was going to learn the true meaning of 'sheer desperation'.

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_"See you soon."_

_Hitsugaya smirked although his emerald eyes betrayed the genuine happiness at Ichigo's words._

_"See you soon."_

_Then he was gone, along with his frosty reiatsu and fresh scent. But Ichigo wasn't sad or depressed. He knew he would see his lover again. They had even longer than what they had so far ahead of them. Hell, they had forever ahead of them. _

_Ichigo smirked. Forever, huh? That definitely had a nice ring to it, he decided, as he turned around and walked off to find Urahara. One thing was sure._

_He was now going to be spending a lot of time at Soul Society._

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It was a pitch-black night, no more unusual than any other nights at Seireitei, the dark wings of deep night soaking the buildings in its eerie shadows where even the moon did not dare shed any light.

It was a pitch-black night, no more unusual than any other nights at Seireitei, where some, or rather many shinigamis were enjoying good late night-outs with copious amount of sake in various pubs and bars scattered around Soul Society. However it had now reached the time where even the most hard-drinking shinigamis had either returned to their quarters or most likely, just trashed somewhere in one of the many streets making up the labyrinth that protects the core of Seireitei, where all the Gotei 13 division offices were placed.

In one of the said street was one of the aforementioned shinigamis, drunken up to his neck, humming an out-of-tune melody as he zigzagged across the road that seemed to have suddenly turned very wobbly, blindingly reaching out for the wall before he could walk into it and quite possibly, knock himself out.

He had just been out for another brilliant night with his mates at a new bar that was rumoured to have great girls. Well, the rumour hadn't been all wrong but he didn't like it when girls rushed into his arms eagerly, asking for his touch, flattering their long -and of course, fake- eyelashes at him with well-practiced giggles. He got much better kick out of it when his female subordinates were yelping in nasty surprise and sending him daggers as he tried to sling his arm around those narrow waists or pinch their curved buttocks. He smirked as he remembered one particular rookie who he almost got his hands on the round firm breasts.

Nevertheless, the bar had good _sake_ for sure, that he would give, and now he was a one happy man with one last sake bottle dangerously swinging in his hand. Only thing he worried about at the moment was whether he would wake up in time for his work tomorrow but it really wasn't the end of the world even if he was a bit late. Swigging another gulp of sake, he was trying to reclaim his balance when his swirling vision finally acknowledged that someone was standing on the street, hidden in shadow of the walls. He blinked a few times to make sure there really was someone there before he cheerily waved, thinking maybe the night was not over yet.

"Hah? Yo, another drunken mate, is it?? Hahahahaha!!! Where did you go fo………"

He didn't get chance to finish his phrase. He didn't even get chance to see who his 'drunken mate' was that had just stabbed him through his neck.

Thick, viscous red streams trickled down the glistening metal blade that had pierced the neck clean. There was no coughing fit of blood, gurgle, or even a yelp. The shinigami was alive one second, now he was dead. No one saw anything, no one heard anything, only the grim goddess of black night witnessing the silent murder taking place under her ragged wings.

With a sickening 'pop' sound, the blade left the neck in one swish motion even before the blood had reached the guard and the body fell limp to the ground with a soft 'thud'. Dark red liquid dripped down in small droplets that joined the slowly growing pool on the ground then all of a sudden, a quiet, soft humming that was much out of place with what had just happened broke the still night's silence, accompanied by the horrendous sounds of bones breaking. After a short time, the humming stopped just as abruptly as it had started and in span of mere few seconds, the veiled figure was gone, the street falling back into the serene silence as if nothing out of ordinary had taken place.

Only the blank eyes of the maimed body, soaking in its own dark blood, stared into the direction that the mysterious murderer had disappeared to, as if they were imprinting the image into the lifeless brain; as if they knew they would be the only witness of the event, of the killer.

Of course, that didn't matter to the unknown killer.

After all, the dead cannot talk.


	2. Back in Soul Society

**Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos [#01/?]**  
**Chapter rating**: NC-17 for gory description  
**Chapter specific warning**: Description of mutilated bodies and a mention of GinxKira  
**Chapter specific spoiler**: Bounto Arc for anime viewers

**Chapter summary**: Finally back in his position, Hitsugaya starts another day at the peaceful hours of early morning. However the tranquility is cut short by an unwanted news.

**Author****'****s Note:**

…The expectations are rather scary and they are putting quite a lot of pressure on me. I can only hope that this story will live up to the anticipation… /sweat drops/ As with Empathy, it may take a while for things to get into full swing, but please continue to read. Following are some facts that will help you to understand the story.

1. According to Bounto Arc, there are districts in Seireitei as well, like Rukongai. Unless specified, districts in this fiction will refer to those in Seireitei, not Rukongai.

2. Ichinose Maki is a character from Bounto Arc. For those who only read manga, Ichinose Maki was a rogue shinigami with a light-type zanpaktou, which enabled him to make him invisible. He had sneaked into Seireitei once and at that time, Senkaimon had opened even when seemingly no one was going through the Gate. He also planted bombs around Senzaikyuu; the bombs were a display of their presence and a declaration of a war, in other words, the damage by the explosion was not the main aim.

3. Onmitsukidou is strictly speaking Special Force but in this fiction, I have also given them the task of police force of Soul Society, thus investigations falling under their job description. However when an involvement of outside force is suspected, it will be passed onto Gotei 13 whose job is to deal with 'monsters'.

4. Umesada Toshimori is actually an original character from SS Arc. He's a fat, ugly guy who made a move on Inoue until Ishida intervened.

5. At the beginning of the original Bleach, you will remember that in school, Ichigo and friends were looking at a list of people's grades, stuck on a wall. It's grades out of the whole year -that makes Ishida the top of the whole year and it's goddamn difficult to achieve especially in a high school level; if you know about Asian education, you would understand-. If you think about it, our strawberry's pretty good, too.

And please remember! My muses feed on your reviews so they are vital for my inspiration along with Hitsu's picture on my mobile… /drools/

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**:::::Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos by Kanon Ch.1::::: ****_Back in Soul Society_**

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_"Tonight is the last night, I'm afraid… But I will show you my appreciation for our time thoroughly; you deserve at least that much."_

_A sickeningly sweet voice rang around the dark, silent room but no reply came. It was as if there was only one person in the place, but there surely was another. Soft chuckles followed the whisper-like words, unfazed by the silence._

_…Who... are you…?_

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Hitsugaya's brows furrowed, the ends twitching, as he gritted his teeth. Ignoring the foretelling signs of migraine, the irritated captain stepped into the administration office that was once again covered with papers; some dangerously perched on a very small surface, some white corners visible in the oddest places, and some even taller than himself -and that was _not_ just because he was 4'4" tall-. Looking at the piles on his desk, Matsumoto's desk, the tea table and the couch, he wondered for a second if he should feel grateful that there were no stacks on the floor yet.

Not long after he returned to Soul Society, Matsumoto had washed her hands off -figuratively _and_ literally; something about papers and inks poisoning her beautiful skin- the paperwork. The resulting amount of work that the young prodigy faced could safely be labelled as 'unreal' but it actually helped the tenth division captain to slide back into his usual daily routine with surprising ease. This was his normality and whether he liked it or not, he had definitely got used to it as well.

With a small sigh, Hitsugaya made himself a cup of his favourite green tea before sitting down at the desk for another day's work. The diligent captain had woken up even earlier than usual today so the division was abnormally quiet; he would probably be able to get through a lot of papers in such rare serenity. The tranquillity would not last long though, he thought to himself with a slight frown, and was about to pick up the first paper on one of the numerous piles when the sparkling emerald eyes noticed a white envelope on the top. Hitsugaya smirked with a quiet scoff; he already knew who it was from.

Well, it wouldn't do any harm to spare a few minutes of this precious silence for the sake of a certain idiot, Hitsugaya decided, as he opened the envelope and unfolded the paper inside. The white-crowned head tilted back and rested on the back of the chair as the smirking shinigami held the white paper in one hand, with cup of tea in the other. Ever since he had returned to Soul Society, one substitute shinigami found a sudden passion in writing and the aloof captain of the tenth division was rather amused with the frequent and endless letters. The turquoise eyes started to glide across the paper as he drank his tea, the bitter yet soothing taste of clear green liquid warming his inside in this early winter morning.

'Toshiro,

I told you about my family coming over last Sunday, right? Dad managed to bust the front door of my flat, that idiot. As if having to replace it once wasn't enough. My flat's been getting too much abuse this year.

Everything's pretty much the same at school; we had our last exams before the winter holidays. I've done better than last time, came 18th in our year. Sado ranked tenth, Inoue came second right after the stupid Quincy. We were actually talking about how well you would've done if you were still here. You could have beaten Ishida, now _that_ would've been brilliant. I still can't believe that freaking Quincy asked me if our relationship was 'consensual'.'

Hitsugaya scowled and snorted at same time. When Kurosaki first wrote to him and told him about Urahara's monitor that had pried upon their good-byes, Hitsugaya simply wrote back that there would be no need to warn the sly shoten owner of any danger that he may face -only _maybe_- should he set his foot in Seireitei.

Not long after that, Urahara paid his first visit to Soul Society since his exile to visit Ukitake but he found himself encased in a block of hard, frigid ice as soon as he walked out of Senkaimon and for a number of days, all shinigamis going through the Gate had a rather amusing view of the ex-12th division captain who had a look of a deer caught in headlights on his face. Nobody understood what brought the famed prodigy's equally famous wrath but no one bothered -or had the guts- to ask either; everyone was pretty sure the erratic shoten owner had brought it on himself.

'By the way, I'll drop by this Saturday and stay over the weekend since the exams are all over now. Take the weekend off unless Soul Society is going into a war. I've spent all my visits stuck in your office so far, and I'm not complaining as long as I can stay around but hey, spare some pity for your boyfriend who's been studying so hard. I've now been deprived of my doses way too long.

Ichigo'

Hitsugaya snorted at the last line; 'doses' was the stupid strawberry's way of saying… well, a lot of things that generally involved those callused hands, the nose and the slightly chapped lips. The sea-green eyes looked around the room, trying to find something -anything- that would tell him today's date.

In the last few months since he had returned, the young shinigami had not taken a single day off yet as his division was in dire need of the captain's attention. Matsumoto had done an undoubtedly good job but there were tasks that were executable only with the captain's authority such as re-organising the whole division after the huge loss from the War. It took a long time and much effort but thanks to Hitsugaya's constant endeavour, the division was now back on track to a certain degree with the newly ranked shinigamis settling into their responsibilities and duties. Broken cogs were fixed and missing ones replaced, and the big wheel called the tenth division was finally rolling without any crunches and splints.

With another sip of the steaming tea, Hitsugaya returned the folded letter to its envelope and opened one of the desk drawers. The drawer was neatly organised, a fair number of same white envelopes having taken their place already. The latest one joined its friends and the brilliant teal orbs lingered on them for a while before the snow-crowned captain closed the drawer. Saturday was only two days away, Hitsugaya noted, as he contemplated about possibly taking the weekend off.

The prodigy shook his head and pushed the thought to the back of his mind; he would make his decision on the day if needed. However for now, there was something more important that he had to think of, such as how to get Matsumoto away for a full 48 hours.

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Hitsugaya was almost finished with the first pile on his right when he felt the floor trembling under the thunderous footsteps of his vice-captain whose reiatsu was fast approaching the office. Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow with a frown; Matsumoto on her way to the office -to _him_- at such speed was unusual and almost always led to something rather unpleasant for him in more than one way.

"Taichou!"

Hitsugaya didn't bother looking up and continued to read through a report from Onmitsukidou about an appearance of a Menos Grande when Matsumoto rushed into the office. The young captain put the report aside once he finished reading; luckily, there was no one working behind the scene and the conclusion was that it had been a stray Gillian that had drifted into the real world. With a quick note that Matsumoto was actually on time for work, Hitsugaya asked in an annoyed voice, thinking he might as well get whatever it was out of the way now so that he could continue with his work undisturbed.

"What is it this time? And I don't care if you have walked in on Ichimaru and Kira again or not."

"Taichou, have you not heard? It's happened again!"

Hitsugaya looked up from another report that he had picked up, his face instantly gaining the trademark scowl. He had come into the office in the early morning and shinigamis were just starting to flock in for the day so until now, he hadn't seen anyone to hear any news from.

"Another one?"

Matsumoto nodded, satisfied that she had now got her captain's attention, and closed the office door behind her.

"Yes, in the Southern District this time."

The radiant emerald eyes narrowed as lips tightened into a thin line. Hitsugaya returned the unread report back to the pile and leaned back. What news to start the day with, Hitsugaya thought to himself, as he started to think over the strange murders that had now claimed its third victim.

About two months ago, a shinigami was found murdered in the Eastern District. It had sparked a lot of wild rumours in Seireitei. After all, such an assassination-like death has never been heard of even when there had been attacks or intruders, and there had been no alert of any of them in this case. Many wondered if this was a sign of another Aizen-like treachery who had first faked his own murder, but this time the victim was a mere low-rank officer of the fifth division.

Nevertheless it was a gory scene that the patrol team came across that morning; there had been a gaping slit on the victim's neck, which seemed to have been the fatal blow. What was perturbing was how each of the victim's fingers was cut off from both hands and stuffed in his mouth, tips of fingers disturbingly sticking out of the tightly filled hole, the corners of lips torn from the over-stretch.

As soon as the news had reached the Captain-Commander, Soi Fon was put in charge of investigating the bizarre murder with her Onmitsukidou force, but the case remained inexplicable. There was nothing special about the victim, just your usual low-rank officer with no outstanding record in his past. The scene was clean of evidence save the small pool of blood belonging to the victim and a broken sake bottle next to him, indicating his activity prior to his death. They found no witness nor had anyone heard a thing.

The post-mortem report by Unohana raised the grimness to another level. It was revealed that every stuffed finger had been broken along with the wrists that had been twisted at odd angles. The victim had also been castrated and the severed organ had been found at the back of the throat once all the fingers were removed. The only humane aspect was that all the torturous mutilation seemed to have taken place after the victim's demise which had been instantaneous due to the cleanly severed spinal cord from the front along with oesophagus and trachea. That explained the relatively small amount of blood at the scene as well and why no one had heard any painful screams.

At first, the most obvious explanation that gossiping shinigamis came up with was that the poor victim had been targeted for being a member of one of the traitors' divisions. The fifth and ninth divisions were having a difficult time even now due to their previous captains' defects and the loss they had ultimately brought about, despite Abarai and Hisagi's best effort; even the third did not completely escape the unfair wrath and the hushed whispers in spite of Ichimaru's true identity. However it had been more than a year since the betrayal and nearly half a year since the end of the War so the theory didn't gain much support.

While the case remained perplexing, another murder took place about two weeks ago. The second victim was from the twelfth division, killed in the dead of night by a stab through his neck. When discovered, the body had been maimed and, for lack of a better word, displayed in the same way. There were no signs of struggle in either of the victims, both of their zanpaktous hanging at their waists, sheathed. With such striking similarities, there was no doubt that the two murders were committed by the same killer but Onmitsukidou did not find any relationship between the two victims; they had not even remotely known each other.

The first ever serial murder in Sereitei's long history was now the biggest gossip topic between shinigamis although the news was tightly sealed from the villagers of Rukongai under a stern order directly issued from the Captain-Commander himself to prevent any improper upheaval.

Hitsugaya turned his eyes to the report that he had placed back on top of its original pile but his thoughts stayed on the murders. Seireitei was not exactly an all-time peaceful place; they had their fair share of violent training and bloody brawls and while it happened rarely, there were times that fights got out of hand and led to grim ends. However these murders were different. They were silent and quick with methodical mutilation. It was not a case of fight-gone-out-of-control; someone was doing this with unknown purpose although whether the victims were targeted or chosen at random was yet to be confirmed.

Oblivious to Matsumot's curious gaze, Hitsugaya's frown deepened slightly. Soul Society was finally getting its former glory back; peace was settling in at last, tension and fear making their final leave after their long residence since Aizen's defect. Gotei 13 was still rather stretched between maintaining the balance of the two worlds and rebuilding themselves. They had not had chance to recover from the loss that continuous Arrancar attacks had caused and the number of casualties from the War was understandably high. It was taking long but steadily, things had been starting to return to the previous normality when the first murder happened and now, they had a third victim.

"Taichou, has sotaichou said anything yet?"

"No… Although…"

"……?"

Hitsugaya fell back into his thoughts without finishing off the sentence. The investigation team consisted of those handpicked with the utmost care by Soi Fon from Onmitsukidou and any information on the progress of the inquiry was kept strictly confidential. It was now no secret that the culprit was thought to be someone within the walls of Seireitei since there had been no alerts of infiltration during any of the nights, and the inquiry had turned into an internal investigation as soon as Kurotsuchi confirmed that Senkaimon had remained closed at all times except when shinigamis went through, all of them quite visible unlike Ichinose Maki.

With the residents of Seireitei now on the suspect list, any further development was sealed away even from the captains in fear of any biased influence, except Soi Fon who led the inquiry and Unohana who was the only non-Onmitsukidou shinigami in the team. However Hitsugaya couldn't help feeling that that was not the only reason behind the strict discretion and he was fairly sure that he was not the only one who felt so.

"Taichou?"

Hitsugaya looked up at his vice-captain in silence for a minute then pushed the matter to the back of his mind. There was going to be a weekly captaincy meeting in an hour's time so probably he could find something out later, but until then, he should not waste any time. And nor should his vice-captain.

"Nothing is going to be solved by us talking here. Now that you've delivered the news, you can sit down and finish those off that were supposed to have been handed in by yesterday."

Matsumoto instantly pouted, stretching her hands out for the irritated captain to see who promptly ignored them and dumped a sheaf of papers into them instead. The jolly vice-captain's voice rose to almost a shriek at that; with the sound alone, you would have thought she had just heard that the end of the world was coming. Actually, the papers in her hands _were_ the end of the world from her point of view.

"Ah, taichou! I told you, the inks poison my beautiful, soft skin!"

An angry mark appeared on the wintry captain but with the patience that comes with the years of practice, Hitsugaya managed to keep his voice at his normal tone, which meant the young prodigy sounded exasperated and annoyed as hell at the -goddamn lazy- buxom woman in front of him. As established before, this was his normality, after all.

"And I told you to zip that nonsense, look at your desk, Matsumoto. It's now-"

"Taichou, you've run out of your tea! I'll just go and get you some more!!"

And accompanied with a gusty wind, Matsumoto was gone from the office along with his cup that had been a lot more than half-filled, papers now scattered on the floor. The clear emerald eyes scrunched shut, the white eyebrows twitched and the customary shout of infuriation echoed through the division, making nearby shinigamis chuckle at their vice-captain's daily antic.

"MATSUMOTO!!!"

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When Hitsugaya arrived at the meeting room, he was surprised to find that all the other captains had already arrived including Ukitake who was looking much better than last time Hitsugaya saw him, talking with Kyouraku as usual.

Abarai was patting Hisagi's shoulder as the ninth division captain ruffled his short inky black hair, looking rather frustrated. On the other side of the room, Soi Fon was discussing something quietly with Unohana who had an unusually serious look on her gentle feature; Hitsugaya assumed they were talking about the third murder. Zaraki seemed to be having a staring contest with Kurotsuchi, both of whom Hitsugaya paid no attention to since he had had enough of the two idiots having stupid arguments long before than a long time ago.

The remaining three, Kuchiki, Komamura and Ichimaru were in the middle of a conversation as well, making Ichimaru look extremely out of place, when the ex-spy noticed the white-haired prodigy entering the room.

"Yo, Hitsugaya taichou! You are finally here!"

Hitsugaya merely grunted out some sort of acknowledgement in response to the greeting and turned around, making Ichimaru pout; even though he now knew that Ichimaru's true intention had always been good, the icy captain couldn't quite bring himself to lose his dislike for that sneaky fox-faced shinigami. However before the pale lilac-haired man could say anything else, Yamamoto entered the room and all the captains instantly ceased their chats and moved to stand in their respective places, ready to begin the meeting.

Most of the reports were the usual things; the Hollows, the real world, and Soul Society which inevitably led to the most talked-about topic in Seireitei these days.

"Now, I am sure all of you are aware that there has been another murder. The victim was identified to be the 20th Seat officer of the ninth division, Umesada Toshimori. With regards to the recent development of the case, Soi Fon taichou has requested for extra patrols to be organised. However Onmitsukidou will be taking these so for the other divisions, keep to your usual rotation."

The observant cerulean eyes caught a quick glance being exchanged between Ukitake and Kyouraku before the eighth division captain addressed the Captain-Commander in his usual carefree style.

"Yama-jii… Onmitsukidou has quite a lot to do, why not let other divisions help out? A few extra patrols won't do much harm."

The reply had been almost immediate, the tone authoritative and firm. The most powerful man of Gotei 13 had responded so swiftly that Hitsugaya couldn't help but wonder if the Captain-Commander had already expected this from his two top-class students.

"No, it has already been decided. Onmitsukidou will take the extra patrols in between the usual ones."

"Ah, Yama-jii… Don't be so stubborn, I know it's an internal investigation and stuff, but…"

"It's for the sake of the investigation and others. Soul Society is still rather unstable and there has been a worrying increase in the number of Hollow attacks in the real world. With Central 46 still out of action, I need everyone to focus on getting Gotei 13 and Seireitei back on their feet as soon as possible. The inquiry is Onmitsukidou's job, and we, Gotei 13, will do our job; do not concern yourselves with this case and make sure your subordinates do not cause any unnecessary uproar."

Yamamoto's tone left no room for debate and even Kyouraku knew there was no changing of his teacher's mind. The flowery captain quietened down with a nonchalant shrug but Hitsugaya could see a slight frown on Ukitake's face and knew he was mirroring the other white-haired captain's expression.

Although Onmitsukidou was the 'police force' of Soul Society, patrols around Seireitei were Gotei 13's job as they were precautionary measures against any possible intrusions or attacks rather than to keep their eyes on shinigamis. Thanks to the Sekkiseki (AN: Bloodthirst stone) barrier, any attempt to infiltrate Seireitei would cause high ruckus that no one would miss so the patrols were carried out only at midnight and at dawn in each of the four Districts, the teams standing guard at various places for the rest of the night.

However the resolute refusal to have Gotei 13 involved in any possible way even in the slightest was rather disconcerting. Was the Captain-Commander taking these murders as a sign of another defect? Was someone in this room already a suspect? Whatever it was, Hitsugaya definitely did not buy the lame excuse Yamamoto fed them even though he did not voice his opinion; to press the aged shinigami even further at this moment could be enough to warrant an accusation of treason if not worded correctly.

The meeting soon ended and the captains flooded out of the room to return to their respective divisions, most of them looking somewhat discontented with the exception of Kurotsuchi and Zaraki, who simply could not care less about the current situation. Hitsugaya quickly caught up with the thirteenth division captain and gestured to him to follow. Ukitake nodded and the young prodigy was soon joined by Ukitake and Kyouraku in one of the empty corridors.

"Ukitake, is there anything you know about these murders apart from wild rumours?"

The sickly captain shook his head, eyebrows furrowed, accompanied by a worried frown.

"All of the important information about the case is strictly classified but I didn't think sotaichou would deter Gotei 13's involvement in the matter this much."

Kyouraku lifted his hat, the ever-so-relaxed smile adorning his feature despite the intentness in the dark grey eyes.

"Yare yare… one thing after the other, isn't it?"

"Unless we have an outsider involved in this, it will remain Onmitsukidou's job, but if sotaichou is…"

Hitsugaya stopped for a minute; he would have to word carefully from here on. Suspecting the elder's true intention in his head was one thing, saying it out loud quite the other. However it seemed Ukitake and Kyouraku already knew what he was going to say. The flamboyant shinigami shrugged as he scratched his chin.

"Asking to get involved in Onmitsukidou's business was essentially testing the water but I guess it's now certain Yama-jii won't let any of us in. I mean, he basically told us to get lost."

"Kyouraku, be careful of how you word things."

The sake-loving captain simply laughed at his best friend's half-exasperated comment before continuing on with a more serious tone.

"The murders are serious crimes, no one would do such things for nothing. But I cannot see what the killer's trying to achieve by them… So far, all of them have been low-ranks, the second one wasn't even seated."

Hitsugaya frowned as he remembered what had happened at Senzaikyuu (AN: Palace of Pentinence) during the Bounto incident.

"Maybe the victims aren't the issue."

Ukitake nodded, his thoughts on the same trail as the icy captain. When Kyouraku raised an eyebrow with a questioning look, the thirteenth division captain elaborated their speculation for him.

"The identities of the victims would be none of the killer's concern if it's something else he or she is aiming for, such as the disturbance that these murders will cause."

"It sounds like Sousuke-kun when you put it that way."

Ukitake and Hitsugaya both scowled at Kyouraku's comment. That was exactly what they were worrying about; what if these murders were part of a bigger plan? Short but heavy and taut silence filled the air before it was quickly broken by Kyouraku with his friendly laugh.

"Well, Yama-jii is just being Yama-jii. What we know about this case is next to zero and I'm sure Soi Fon taichou has not overlooked anything. We'll just have to keep our eyes peeled."

Hitsugaya remained dissatisfied but Ukitake seemed to agree with his friend, nodding with a small sigh. What little frown that had graced the kind feature disappeared, replaced by a somewhat exasperated smile.

"I guess so. Well, I'm going to go back to my division for now before Kuchiki runs to Byakuya to find out where I am."

Kyouraku laughed, patting his old friend's shoulder.

"Another over-protective stalkerish subordinate?"

"She's not as bad as Sentaro and Kiyone but she does worry too much at times. I think she will start panicking, thinking I've fainted somewhere if I don't turn up anytime soon."

"Then I'm going back to my lovely Nanao-chan. I'll see you later, Juushiro, tensai (AN: genius) boy."

Ukitake waved and chuckled quietly as his childhood friend took off with a goofy smile plastered on his face and was about to leave as well when he noticed his fellow 'Shiro-chan' standing very still like a wax statue, frowning at the floor in deep thought.

"Hitsugaya taichou?"

"…………"

"Hitsugaya taichou, are you okay?"

Hitsugaya looked up at the long-haired shinigami although he didn't say anything for a while. The scowl continued to get worse and worse and it was some time before Hitsugaya let out a frustrated sigh, a hand running through his surreal white hair in an irritated manner.

"Hitsugaya taichou?"

"Something about these murders is… There's just something about these murders."

Ukitake's eyebrows rose as the young captain fell quiet again. It was rare for the famed prodigy to be vague like this.

"Something that you don't like?"

"I guess that's one way of saying it. Honestly speaking, I'm not sure."

Ukitake sighed with hidden sympathy for the young shinigami. Aizen's treachery had affected everyone but Hitsugaya had been the most affected one by far out of Gotei 13 due to his connection to the incident through Hinamori Momo. Ukitake had been worried about this young captain who he regarded as a son he never had since he saw Hinamori's dead body with frostbite spreading through the wound. He wasn't surprised that Hitsugaya would be extra sensitive to this kind of situation. Realising that the younger one was not going to say anything else, Ukitake smiled soothingly as he put a hand on Hitsugaya's shoulder, bringing him out of his reverie.

"Perhaps we do worry too much for our own good."

Hitsugaya looked at Ukitake incredulously and the thirteenth division captain laughed softly. He searched inside his sleeves and pulled out some candies that he dumped in Hitsugay's arms, pretending not to have seen the mildly annoyed look, the younger one too polite to refuse them in his face. Ukitake patted the prodigy's shoulder with a reassuring smile.

"Here, I'm sure these will cheer you up. There's nothing else going on yet so don't worry too much."

And the man was gone before Hitsugaya could say anything else. The tenth division captain looked at the bunch of candies in his arms with an exasperated sigh then turned his gaze to the clear blue sky.

There was just something about these cases that bothered him; that's all he knew. He couldn't quite say what it was, he didn't have even an inkling as to what it might have been, truth be spoken. It was like a gentle, almost non-existent disturbance in a calm lake, rippling across the surface before it disappeared in a matter of seconds. Why he was getting these fleeting feelings, he didn't have a clue.

He shook his head, the silky spikes waving in the air along with the motion. Perhaps Ukitake was right. Perhaps he really was worrying too much. With Aizen, there was that unusual persecution of Kuchiki Rukia but there was nothing out of the ordinary going on in Soul Society right now except the actual murders. The snow-crowned captain ignored his uneasy feelings; at least for now, there was nothing he could do since the investigation was in Soi Fon's hands and it wouldn't do to sniff around. That could come across as doubting the fellow captain's capability. The relationship between him and the second division captain was nothing more than two shinigamis at the same rank and he had rarely spoken to her, but he was well aware of her competence and determination.

Stuffing the candies in any available place in his shihakshou, Hitsugaya treaded back to his division. He will go through the papers after watching over his division's training and maybe, just maybe, he will take the weekend off.

If he can come up with a good reason to keep Matsumoto away, that is.


	3. First Break Part I

**Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos [#02/?]**  
**Chapter rating**: NC-17 for lemon  
**Chapter specific warning**: Two insignificant OCs, a long LEMON, and sweetness that will make you cringe  
**Chapter specific spoiler**: None

**Chapter summary**: Hitsugaya takes time out from his duty for the first time since his return. Of course, 'rest' does not turn out to be so much of 'rest' when a certain human meddles in.

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**:::::Orderly** **Madness, the Melody of Chaos by Kanon Ch.2::::: _First Break Part I_  
**

* * *

"Urahara-san!"

A loud, energetic voice rang throughout an empty, shadowed shop in the early morning of freezing winter. There was a sound of a returned greeting from the room at the back of the shop and two orange-topped boys made a beeline to where the voice had come from.

When the rice-paper door slid open, Urahara shuddered at the chilly air that rushed into the warm room, thankful for the toasty kotatsu that he was staying under.

"Kurosaki-san, on time as usual, I see. And Kon, too."

"Sorry for making you get up so early on the weekend."

Urahara smiled as he got up away from the comforting heat, the fan that never leaves his hands whipped open in front of his face.

"Don't worry, it's no problem. I understand you'd want to see Hitsugaya taichou as soon as possible after all those stressful exams. This place has gone too quiet with all of you busy studying, I'm glad to have you back."

Ichigo flashed a toothy grin, a faint blush creeping up his cheeks. He followed Urahara down to the basement with Kon right behind him who was whining about having to stay behind when his nee-san (AN: Rukia) was waiting for him in Soul Society. Ichigo refrained from smacking Kon's head -since it will only be his own head- and instead, satisfied himself with an annoyed glare.

"Stop complaining, you get to stay in my body for two days. Or do you want me to leave you in the stuffed toy and dump you in Yuzu's room?"

Kon instantly shut up.

"And remember, nothing weird."

"Che, boring."

Ichigo's hand moved up to Zangetsu and Kon nodded vigorously.

"Kurosaki-san! Senkaimon's ready!"

"'Kay, thanks."

"When will you be coming back?"

"Tomorrow evening. I dunno what time, though."

Urahara nodded with an understanding look when Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish.

"Then I'll leave the doors open in case you decide to come back late."

"Thanks."

And Ichigo was gone in an instant with a bright flash of Senkaimon, leaving behind a grinning shoten owner and a grumbling mod soul.

"It looks like Kurosaki-san and Hitsugaya taichou are still going strong."

"Don't get me started on it. I've never seen Ichigo not frowning so much and the way he smiles when he writes to taichou, it's scary. I've even heard him sleep-talking, calling for Hitsugaya taichou. I don't even want to know what the hell he was dreaming about."

Urahara laughed behind his fan. He had watched Kurosaki Ichigo from the awakening of his power to now and rash and hot-headed -and sometimes downright stupid- the teen may be, but that boy had a heart of gold. Ichigo cared about those around him a lot; so much that it had often brought him to the brink of death as he fought for all their sakes or pulled him down to the deepest abyss when he thought he had failed them.

The ex-12th division captain had watched over Ichigo's entire journey as a shinigami and he sometimes felt like a father proud of his son's achievement when he caught the glimpse of the unrelenting determination gleaming in the substitute shinigami's brown eyes.

Of course, even to the all-knowing shoten owner, the teen's choice in his counterpart had come as a surprise but the transformation it had brought out of him was formidable. It was nothing obvious if you didn't know what to look for but the most apparent was when Ichigo came for Senkaimon to visit the prodigy captain; it was almost as if his reiatsu was dancing with joy and happiness, something so rarely seen from the powerful but still young -and too often brooding- substitute shinigami.

It may be a somewhat bizarre relationship between a human and a shinigami captain but what could be normal when it came to THE Kurosaki Ichigo, Urahara amused. Nevertheless, the former captain sincerely hoped for the best for the unlikely duo; they were on opposite ends of a spectrum yet were alike in so many senses as they shared numerous traits -stubbornness being one of them- and a memory too painful for such young ones, however powerful they may be.

Urahara gazed at the closing Senkaimon and stated, the usual sly edge in his voice all but lost.

"Love can change people a lot."

Kon snickered.

"Ichigo's just a sap, he's totally whipped."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

In Seireitei, each division held its captain's quarter somewhere within the building although whether to use it or not was the captain's choice. Most of them happily took up the provided residence that came complete with carefully selected servants, the only exception being Kuchiki Byakuya who obviously had the grand Kuchiki mansion to return to. In the tenth division, the captain's quarter was at the back of the division area, away from all the offices and subordinates' dorms, separated by a small stone arch bridge over an adequately sized pond.

Like any other captains' quarters, the house was considerably big for a single resident; a large lounge looked out into a small back garden, a bathroom with a separate changing room and a tub big enough for 2-3 people, a kitchen which was usually occupied by the servants (Hitsugaya had yet to even walk into that place), a dining room, another smaller room on one end of the house where the servant on duty stayed over, two spare rooms, and a master bedroom on the other end, too big for a sole occupant, usually void of its owner just like the rest of the house.

However this particular morning the normally empty bedroom was found to be occupied, a futon laid out in the middle of the room that was dimly lit with faint sunlight creeping through a thin rice-paper window, a comforter covering a small body slightly curled on its side. Just above the soft blanket was white spiked tuft, spread out on an equally white pillow, making it hard to distinguish the silky tendrils of cloud-like softness from the spotless cotton.

The atmosphere was calm and tranquil; serene silence embraced the snow-crowned shinigami like a mysterious mist over a still lake in the early morning, protecting the rare slumber the young but overworked captain had allowed himself. As it was the weekend, the work hour started much later and only those on-call would come in, so the whole division was still very quiet; not to mention that as a general rule, captains' quarters were strictly off-limit (some were more approachable than others; Hitsugaya's was on top of the list of 'NEVER to disturb').

Suddenly, the bedroom door slid open without a sound and closed again but the sleeping prodigy, who was normally a light sleeper, remained oblivious to the trespasser. Tabi-clad feet crept across the room in bold strides without a sound until they reached the futon, then the intruder sat down next to the slumbering captain, cross-legged.

Ichigo praised himself for managing to get this close to the sensitive shinigami without waking him up. During Toshiro's stay at his place after the War, Ichigo had finally learnt how to control his high reiatsu with the captain's help. The teen still remembered the unhidden look of surprise and curiosity on his lover's face when he had first asked him to teach him. The snow-crowned captain had asked what had brought the sudden change of heart, saying he had thought it counted as something 'tedious' and 'unnecessary' in the rash substitute shinigami's mind.

Hitsugaya, as usual, had not been wrong, at least not completely; it had been _god__damn_ tedious and even with the talented shinigami's help, the control had been mediocre at best for quite some time. If Ichigo hadn't had such strong motivation, he would have kicked the bucket after just a few days. The normally irritable captain had been quite impressed with the teen's resolve that he continued to teach him, enduring the devastatingly slow improvement and Ichigo's frustrated wails, even though they happened rarely.

Only if Hitsugaya had known what pushed Ichigo to master his reiatsu. The ever-so-observant captain had, for once, missed to see that the real reason behind the eagerness had nothing to do with battles.

It was 'tedious' but definitely not 'unnecessary' in Ichigo's new circumstance; after all, when your lover was a master at reading others' reiatsus, you had to know how to hide it to have any chance of sneaking up and giving a surprise hug, maybe -definitely- with a surprise kiss to accompany it. And if the teen wanted to, or rather, needed to, he could even hide from Zaraki Kenpachi (correctly speaking, Yachiru, since the fight-obsessed captain's spiritual sense was on a par with Ichigo's); now _that_ was a cherry on top.

Ichigo still found it hard to keep a tight hold on his extensive reiatsu unlike the prodigy captain who had years of experience but right now, he knew he had done a pretty good job as his lover's slumber remained unperturbed with no sign of acknowledging Ichigo's presence so near to him.

It was a good idea to come early, Ichigo thought to himself, his soft brown eyes gliding across the serene face of his prickly prince. That peaceful expression was just as he remembered; the constant scowl nowhere to be seen, pink -and so tempting- lips slightly parted to let out quiet, regular breaths, and two small hands curled in front of his face.

With a smile, Ichigo placed his chin in his hand and decided to wait until Toshiro woke up. Despite the number of times he had seen this side of Hitsugaya Toshiro that was hidden from the world, the orange-haired teen still loved to watch his lover asleep like this. Besides, it was most likely the captain would wake up soon anyway even if it was the weekend, moreover, his day off.

Ichigo grinned as he tried to think of things to do for the next 48 hours; the fact that the workaholic captain was resting at his quarter meant Toshiro had indeed taken time off since his stubborn boyfriend usually slept -the substitute shinigami scoffed; it was more like falling comatose from wariness after hours and hours of working- at the administration office. Ichigo had actually gone to the office first where he was greeted with a pleasantly empty room before coming over to the premises.

The smile on the teen's face widened slowly as a large hand reached out for a set of dainty ones and gently held them, savouring their softness and warmth. A content sigh dissipated into the silent room, quiet enough not to wake up the resting prodigy, as Ichigo soaked in the happiness and calmness of the moment. Just then, the delicate hands twitched a little before the turquoise eyes fluttered open, hazily staring at his hands, or rather, Ichigo's hand holding them, in sleep-induced perplexity; after all, it was not every day that the young captain woke up in his own bedroom, let alone a warm hold on his hands. Then the gaze shifted along the arm until it met the soft chocolate eyes.

"Ohaiyo, yuki hime." (AN: Good morning, snow princess: nickname from 'Empathy')

The sea-green eyes blinked at him a few times and Ichigo chuckled at how uncharacteristic the aloof captain looked at this moment. It wasn't his first time seeing it -in fact, he had seen that innocent look a lot- but the way the fine eyelashes fluttered over the hypnotising teal orbs while the captain tried to drive away the last remnants of sleep was so naive and childlike although to Ichigo, there was that certain streak of seduction.

Now more awake than before, Hitsugaya scoffed when his visual recognised the telltale orange mess and the familiar low chuckles quietly ringing in his ear. The snow-crowned shinigami remained under the soft and warm comforter and returned the gentle hold on his hands.

"Ohaiyo, boke." (AN: Good morning, idiot)

Ichigo rolled his eyes although a mischievous smile tugged at his lips.

"Ah, that's not very nice."

"I did say I will freeze you if you call me that."

Ichigo rolled his eyes again and leaned down to plant a chaste kiss on the soft cheek. The cerulean eyes fluttered, shutting for a second at the touch and then opening again when the warmth left, their gaze locked with the hazelnut ones. The orange-haired teen smiled at the unguarded, relaxed look in the brilliant emerald jewels and brushed across the porcelain skin he had just kissed with his free hand.

"Did I wake you up?"

"No. Besides, your reiatsu is not something I perceive as foreign anyway, but well done, your control's improved by far."

Ichigo grinned.

"I try."

Hitsugaya scoffed; he might not have known it then but now he knew why the substitute shinigami had suddenly wanted to learn how to master his reiatsu. He freed his small hands from Kurosaki's hold and got up, making his way to the bathroom in order to freshen up. Ichigo followed suit, planning to wait for his lover in the lounge area -he liked the view of the garden-, when the captain stopped on his way out and turned around.

"Have you had breakfast?"

"Nah."

"Satsuki should be in the kitchen, so tell her to make yours too and to bring them to the lounge."

"'Kay, but before that…"

Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow but the questioning look soon turned into an exasperated smile when the substitute shinigami gently held his chin up. Ichigo pressed his lips on the soft petals, keeping the touch light and innocent. When he pulled back, a barely noticeable smile lingered on the lips that he had just claimed and Ichigo returned it with his own cheeky grin.

"Good morning kiss."

The wintry prodigy smirked, his turquoise eyes beautifully dazzling like the jewels that they were, in the faint morning sunlight seeping through the rice-paper window.

"Baka. I'm going."

"Hai, hai."

Just as Hitsugaya said, Ame Satsuki, one of two servants working for the tenth division captain with Nekonome Haru, was in the kitchen. When she heard the kitchen door being opened, Satsuki looked up and smiled at him. She was a nice, friendly lady, her physical age in her late 20s with brown hair in a loose low ponytail, big black eyes and a heart-warming smile. In a way, she reminded Ichigo of Yuzu and his mother.

"Kurosaki-san, it's been a while."

"I told you before not to call me that, Ichigo is fine. How are you?"

"Oh, fine. I'm glad you've managed to get Hitsugaya taichou away from his office, he hasn't been back here since your last visit bar three nights ago."

The chocolate-eyed teen sighed at his boyfriend's behaviour even if he had expected to hear something along the lines of that. Ichigo had made it his job to drag the immovable captain away to his quarter at least while he was around but when the substitute shinigami was in the real world, there was no stopping the workaholic prodigy from staying at the office 24/7. No wonder Satsuki and Haru were the most envied servants in the whole Seireitei.

"And he calls me stupid. I'm not letting him set foot in that freaking office until I leave tomorrow."

Satsuki giggled behind her hand at Ichigo's irritated grumble. Her master had not said a word about his relationship to this young, fiery substitute shinigami but it was an easy guess just from the fact that Ichigo was allowed in his private quarter like this, not to mention the first name calling; the orange-haired teen was probably just about the only one in any of the realms who could do so without getting reprimanded by the aloof captain.

Of course, she and Haru kept it to themselves; one of the rules as a servant to protect their master's privacy -adequately named the 'silence rule'- was certainly the most important one especially when it came to the wielder of Hyourinmaru.

"Is there anything you would like?"

"Oh, yeah. I haven't had any breakfast yet so if it's not too much, could you make some for me as well?"

"Of course."

"And Toshiro wants them in the lounge."

"I will have them ready there, then."

"Thanks!"

Ichigo gave a cheery wave as he left the kitchen and headed towards the bathroom with a smirk on his face.

It was time to punish his ill-behaved boyfriend.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The bath was already filled with hot water when Hitsugaya walked in, just as he had instructed the night before. His body welcomed the humid air and he could feel Hyourinmaru stirring at the core of his soul as he lowered himself into the tub. The icy captain mentally patted the dragon; for some days, the legendary creature had been somewhat restless with no apparent reason. The wielder assumed it must be the uneasy feeling he got from the murders affecting the extension of his soul but now he could feel the calmness resonating through his body and mind.

The soothing water caressed his muscles and Hitsugaya closed his eyes with a small satisfied sigh, intending to enjoy this rare occasion where he did not have to rush his morning bath. Usually, he wasn't even in his quarter let alone having a bath in the morning like this. A quick drop-in for a five-minute long shower was all the dutiful captain had to spare before he returned to his 'second-home', breakfast either skipped or delivered to the paper-ridden office.

Leaning his cloud-topped head back on the edge, the young shinigami was relishing in the calm tranquillity when he heard the bathroom door sliding open. Hitsugaya didn't bother opening his eyes when the footsteps grew closer, reiatsu now spreading out as the owner did not attempt to rein it anymore. The soft treading sounds stopped right next to him and Hitsugaya murmured before the other one could say anything.

"Pervert."

There was a low chuckle somewhere above him and a callused hand ran down his face gently before a thumb brushed across his parted lips; the captain barely managed to stop himself before a tingling shudder almost wrecked his body.

"I've heard you've been a naughty boy."

Hitsugaya cracked only one eye open to find a carrot-top smirking just above him. He had an idea as to what Ichigo was talking about but simply snorted and closed his eye again, returning to the world of black and ignoring the exuding reiatsu belonging to a certain stupid strawberry. Ichigo lost all his smugness at the silent retort and sat himself down at the edge of the tub, feeling a little stuffy in his shihakshou (AN: shinigami's black kimono) due to the hot mist filling the bathroom.

"Toshiro, you've been working non-stop since you came back. You really shouldn't push yourself so much."

Hitsugaya didn't miss a beat in his reply.

"I'm not."

"Yeah, _sure_."

"Kurosaki, get out if you are going to disturb my bath."

There was a snigger and the hand on Hitsugaya's face moved up to run through the slightly damp tendrils as warm lips landed on the forehead. The emerald eyes remained closed but their owner could feel the heat moving next to the sensitive ear before the substitute shinigami whispered with little nibbles on the earlobe.

"I've come to punish you for your bad behaviour."

The voice was thick with wickedness and lust and Hitsugaya stopped breathing for a second; the light, little nibbles, the hot breaths ghosting over the wet spot and the heavy voice were igniting a fire somewhere deep inside him, a fire that only a certain substitute shinigami could alight, something that had not had chance to burn for some time -maybe, just _maybe_, for slightly too long, only if the frigid captain would admit-. He bit down his lip unknowingly, stopping a quiet moan that almost escaped him.

Ichigo smirked; he had only just begun and he already knew he had won. He leaned down to kiss the scrumptious petals as his hand ran down the lean neck to the chest under the water. The steaming liquid was rather hot, the frosty reiatsu of his sweet little lover tightly reined in; the callused hand quickly reached the same temperature but whether it was because of the surrounding water or the raised body temperature of its owner, no one would know.

Two wet tongues danced around each other, sharing their passion and heat while the errant hand found a pert nub on the flat chest and teased the hardening flesh. Even in the tight lock of their lips, Ichigo felt his prince's sudden hitch in breathing and an almost non-existent vibration as something akin to a low growl left the pre-occupied lips.

When they finally parted, Ichigo did not waste any time and latched onto the delicious neck, kissing the smooth skin as if it was the most adorable existence he had ever seen, which was not too far off from the truth, honestly speaking, however clichéd it sounded. The feathery contacts oozed of affection, possessiveness, longing and deep desire. The prodigy captain managed to utter a few words while his body moved on its own accord, the snow-crowned head tilting to accommodate the searing lips.

"Baka… It's morning…"

It was a feeble and meaningless attempt, the usual authoritative tone in the aloof captain's voice all but completely vanished. The vibrant-coloured locks moved down a bit before slowly coming up along the slender neck line, licking away some of the water droplets from the flawless skin. This time, it was out of the ever-so-talented shinigami's ability to stop the shudder and the lithe body trembled under the spell of the electrifying sensation coursing through every vein. Ichigo breathed in deeply, losing himself in the ambrosial scent, and murmured, the wet lips barely brushing against the lavished skin.

"And…? Remember, I'm punishing you."

Ichigo heard a snort from his boyfriend between shallow breathing and raised an eyebrow; so his prickly, stubborn yuki hime was yet to give in, was he?

He brushed his lips down the neck to the erogenous shoulder and blew hot air across the spot, fully aware of the frosty captain's weakness to any stimulation on the oversensitive skin. As predicted, there was a sharp intake of air, the grip on Ichigo's shoulder tightening at the tantalising tingles, and a quiet mewl escaped the lush lips.

Pleased with the music at his ear, the teen moved his hand on the chest down the toned belly, the fingertips lazily running down the baby soft skin. They circled around the navel for a while, making Hitsugaya squirm at the ticklish feeling, before continuing on until the hand reached the semi-hard member.

Hitsugaya felt another hand coming round to support his tilted head and let out a shaky breath when a wet tongue traced the outline of his ear. They hadn't seen each other for a few weeks because of Kurosaki's exams and the overwhelming amount of work he had to get through; his body had been deprived of the lush touches and warmth and was even more responsive than usual at his lover's sinful administrations.

Ichigo buried his nose in the cotton-soft tuft, intending to get all of the missed doses of his icy drug, and moved his right hand oh so slowly over his trembling boyfriend's length, feeling his own coming to life as the luscious moans echoed in his ear.

"Mmm… Ichigo…"

How he loved to hear his name rolling off that tongue, coming from those scrumptious lips; Ichigo instantly left the silky threads of white fluffy clouds and pressed his lips against Toshiro's.

When the scorching lips landed on his own, Hitsugaya lifted his head up, eagerly giving into the kiss. Ichigo nibbled the lower lip before slipping his tongue in, leaving no corners untouched as it traced every line and curve of the warm mouth. It was only when their overtaxed lungs screamed and thrashed for air that the two passionate lovers managed to break apart.

His small lover's breathing was fast turning irregular and ragged as he kept his hand moving over the straining erection and Ichigo laid a butterfly kiss on the reddening cheek before kissing the eyelids that had remained shut the entire time.

"Toshiro, show me your eyes?"

Barely grasping the soft words in the dreamy world of erotic pleasure, the brilliant jewels opened up and Ichigo gave a mind-blowing, sexy -and wow, Hitsugaya thought, _wow_- smile before he moved down and kissed along the sharp jaw line, the curious tongue flicking out from time to time to lick away a few remaining water droplets.

The hazy emerald eyes remained open despite the teasing touches and stared up at the ceiling, the bathroom foggy with the steam from hot water, before looking down at the untameable orange mess. Fully relying on Kurosaki's hold to support him, Hitsugaya lifted his hands and buried them in the tuft, the short ends tickling his fingers; the last time he had felt this unkempt hair was now just over a month ago.

Ichigo let out a content sigh; he loved to have those perfect little hands running through his hair. He dove down for another kiss as he brushed across the top of Toshiro's hard member with his thumb and smirked when the narrow hip bucked into his hand, a heavy moan echoing around the bathroom. The heat from the water was now undistinguishable from the heat the writhing body under him was giving off and Ichigo was now feeling very stuffy in his shihakshou.

When he left the thoroughly lavished petals, Ichigo gulped at what he saw; the teal orbs were glazed with heavy lust -who the _fuck_ was it that said Hitsugaya Toshiro was a child- as they stared at him almost blankly and the china-white cheeks were tinged with red, the scrumptious lips parted to let out those sensual mewls. It was the ultimate sex look of Hitsugaya Toshiro and damn if it did not turn on the already horny substitute shinigami.

"Shit."

When the misty cerulean eyes gained a little more focus in them and looked at him, Ichigo licked his lips.

"This was supposed to be your punishment but now I don't care."

Hitsugaya snickered albeit rather weakly in his trance as he watched the teen ridding himself of the shihakshou which was hastily thrown out into the changing room before Kurosaki walked into the bath.

He did not do it intentionally -he never did- but he knew it was simply impossible for his lover to resist his atypically unrestrained look when he had all of his tight self-control hindered, because of him, no less. It was, in simple words, a 'hot and bothered' look; crudely put, a 'I'M HAVING SEX' look.

One sultry looking Hitsugaya Toshiro was something Kurosaki Ichigo could never even hope to defy.

As soon as Ichigo got into the water, he almost yanked the smaller boy into his arms and claimed those addictive lips in a rough, breathtaking kiss that seemingly lasted forever, his hands running around the delectable body. Surprisingly, it was him that first pulled away; Ichigo buried his face in Toshiro's neck and took a deep breath.

It never ceased to amaze him how unbelievably satisfying and complete he felt when a certain icy dragon was in his arms. The unique, drug-like fresh scent filled up his lungs along with the hot, steamy air and his brain almost went into overload from the satisfying sensation even before things really began.

"I missed you so much. Those exams are pure _evil_, I'm telling you."

Hitsugaya chuckled quietly, the sea-green eyes sparkling with amusement. Kurosaki's breaths tickled his hypersensitive skin and he shivered, pressing his cheek against the orange hair. Lean arms linked around the broad shoulder and he gave him a gentle squeeze. The frigid captain may not speak of it in direct words like the teen but he had also missed this heat, this passion and this comfort that Kurosaki provided and while making love as soon as he woke up was -certainly- not what Hitsugaya had in his mind, he still welcomed it. He could feel his lover's smile on his shoulder followed by a butterfly kiss, sending another shudder down his spine.

Ichigo returned Toshiro to his previous reclined position, laying him down with great gentleness before he crawled over onto top of his lover. The callused hands ran down the lean torso again, teasing a pair of hardened nubs that they came across on their way, while the wet tongue did its fair share of torture on the oversensitive shoulders. One hand stayed on the pert nipple as the other brushed across inside of the toned thigh before it landed in between the legs. Toshiro's arms automatically came around his neck as the hand stroked the hard member and lusty moans left those tempting lips that Ichigo did not hesitate to claim with his own lips.

The fondling was light and tender, the thumb teasingly ghosting over the leaking tip. Long digits wrapped around the length and the fingertips glided across the hot skin, making the wintry captain whimper at unsatisfying touch.

The soft caresses soon started to frustrate Hitsugaya who could feel the pool of heat building up at his lower groin but before he could complain about the teasing hands, the strokes suddenly got bolder and faster as if Kurosaki had read his mind. The white-topped head tilted back, the flawless chest rising and falling rapidly, as the climax neared with every firm stroke. Sweet moans filled the steamy bathroom, steadily getting louder and thicker, until two small hands suddenly clenched the short orange tendrils, the beautiful teal orbs scrunching shut.

"I…chigo…!"

Ichigo watched his boyfriend reaching the blissful high, lost in the enchanting display; in spite of the high humidity, his throat felt raw and dry, his salivary glands seemingly malfunctioning. He gulped without realising and by the time Hitsugaya managed to come back down and regain some strength in his languid limbs, the aroused teen was almost growling in a low, rough voice as his own weeping erection screamed for release. It had been long, too long, since Ichigo had last seen that face and heard the sensual music and he was now feeling hungry, starved, for this hot body more than ever.

"I. _NEED_. YOU. Goddman desperately."

There was a quiet scoff but the emerald eyes looked at the chocolate ones, silently telling Ichigo to claim what the young captain would willingly give. Ichigo loved times like this. It did not matter if Toshiro was not generous in affectionate words or sometimes prioritised work over their relationship; sure it annoyed him, but he had already understood and accepted the captain's aloofness and the workaholic tendency even before he had confessed his feelings for him.

It did not matter because Kurosaki Ichigo knew that Hitsugaya Toshiro, the famed prodigy captain of the tenth division, loved him, the human substitute shinigami, just like he loved him.

His arms tightly linked around the slim waist, Ichigo kissed the pout lips, his tongue darting out to taste their sweetness. While his small lover lost himself in the wet exchange, he discreetly ran a hand down the spine, submerging under the water to reach its destination. The substitute shinigami did not waste a second and there was a sudden tension in the lithe body as a finger circled the tight entrance. Ichigo managed to keep hold of his sanity before the last straw escaped him and kept their lips sealed while he moved the finger in slowly when the body relaxed again.

Still locked in a passionate and fiery kiss, Hitsugaya could not help but frown a little at the alien sensation he had almost forgotten. It was weird how the hot water entered him along with the teen's finger but it seemed to work as lubricant as well as relaxant. Soon there were three fingers moving in and out of the hot tunnel as the long digits stretched the small captain for something much bigger and hotter to come, something that Hitsugaya wanted, _needed_ to feel inside him, now that Kurosaki had lit another fire in him. Hitsugaya tightened his hold around the substitute shinigami's neck, burying his face in the broad shoulder.

"Ichigo… it's okay now…"

Ichigo pulled back a little to look at the prodigy with worry; as much as he wanted to plunge into that heat, he did not want to hurt his snowy prince. The whisper was shaky, muddled with ragged breathing.

"You sure…? It's been a while…"

When the white-topped head nodded, Ichigo held the waist firmly and guided his lover onto his twitching member. They stopped when the head was in; it had really been too long for both of them. Then Toshiro slowly, oh so slowly, slid down, taking more and more of Ichigo inside him until he was fully sheathed. Ichigo's hold on the waist tightened and the brown eyes scrunched shut at the searing walls surrounding him.

"Shit… You are even tighter than usual…"

"Baka… Shut up…"

Ichigo laughed unevenly as he held the sweet body securely in his arms, Toshiro's dainty hands buried in his wet orange hair. He concentrated on deep breathing, feeling himself precariously close to orgasm at his lover's tight heat. It was taking every wisp of his barely-there sanity to stop himself from mercilessly impaling this addictive body. When the tense muscles seemed to have relaxed a little, Ichigo murmured into Toshiro's ear.

"…Can I…?"

It was a few seconds before his yuki hime grunted out a quiet answer. Ichigo moved his hip a little for a test and quickly rubbed his impatient lover's tailbone when he heard an almost inaudible whimper, the abrupt tension spreading through the small body telling him Toshiro was obviously not ready yet.

The substitute shinigami stayed still a little longer and Hitsugaya lifted his head off the orange-haired teen's shoulder, pressing his forehead against his lover's. The sea-green eyes had hidden behind the eyelids, much to Ichigo's disappointment, but the delicate hands crept up to cup his cheeks and the prodigy's heated breathing ghosted over his face, exquisitely seductive.

"It's okay… Move…"

Ichigo could not help but smile as he kissed the end of the nose that was almost touching his own and gently rocked, the water rippling with every movement. Hitsugaya let out a breath that he did not realise he had been holding once the pain started to dull, replaced by the familiar blinding sensation, slowly building up from where he was connected to the orange-haired teen.

The pulsing erection started to move in and out with more ease now that Hitsugaya was eager to be filled and the water, now warm than hot, followed its track. The ever-so-perceptive captain had to frown at the -not necessarily bad but- odd sensation that he did not miss even in the haze of heated lust.

"…Water…"

No more words followed after that but Ichigo got the message; after all, that was just what he had been thinking about as well. The warm fluid entered the hot tunnel along with his weeping length and the rest that had not been so fortunate as to taste the sweetness of his little dragon's tightness swished around them, the ripples getting stronger as their rocking got more and more desperate and needy.

"I was just thinking that…"

He managed to mutter with breathless chuckles and at same time, slammed into the tight heat.

"Aah!!! God, Ichigo…"

Ichigo groaned when the constricted walls tightened even more around his painfully hard member; he quickly moved his arms around the slim waist, having found what he was looking for. Once shifted to the right angle, the pace started to pick up and soon the lean body was moving in beat with him for harder, deeper penetrations, contracting involuntarily every time Ichigo hit his sweet spot.

The frosty captain had now totally lost the control over himself as Ichigo mercilessly pounded in, the sensation of the teen filling him so satisfying, perfectly complete, and most of all, leaving him craving for more. Water started to overflow from the rough movements but neither of the couple cared as they lost themselves in the heated pleasure, lips constantly seeking each other to relay the unspoken message of their love.

"Ichigo… I'm… Aah…"

"Just… lil'…"

Unable to manage a full sentence, Ichigo quickly slipped a hand between them and found his lover's erection. There was another hitched breathing at his ear and the teen circled the head of the neglected length before pumping it hard, in rhythm with his own thrusts. The gasping moans turned into near screams as the waves of incredible pleasure crashed down on the white-haired boy and it was not long before he came, crying out the other's name.

"God… Aah… Ichigo…!!!"

The arms around Ichigo's neck tightened and Toshiro's inner walls clamped around him in a vice-like grip as the captain reached his climax and Ichigo, unable to hold on any longer, managed one last harsh thrust before filling his lover with his pearly streams.

Rough, irregular panting filled the now silent bathroom as the two lovers slowly returned to earth -or Soul Society- from euphoria, the once disturbed water now calming down again. Ichigo was leaning on the edge of the tub with Toshiro in his arms that were loosely draped across the smaller one's back, the limp body pressed flush against him. It was some time before the worn-out prodigy managed to peel himself off the teen and stand on his shaky legs to get out of the lukewarm -not to mention, dirtied- water. Ichigo also moved to get out of the bath when Toshiro shot him a half-hearted glare with a faint smirk on the bruised lips and complained.

"Now you've ruined my morning bath."

"But it was much more fun, wasn't it?"

Hitsugaya just scoffed and got a bucket to collect fresh water in; that strawberry had gone too cheeky for his own good since they had gotten together and even worse, he had gone too soft on the idiot.

Ichigo picked up soap from a bucket on the floor and after rubbing it to a bath towel, moved behind of his small boyfriend and started to clean the luscious body that he had just plunged into. Hitsugaya leaned into the touch, letting the orange-haired teen gently caress him with the velvety bubble-covered towel, although, not too surprisingly, he did not pass the moment without saying anything.

"Keep it clean, we have breakfast waiting."

Ichigo chuckled at the warning, planting a butterfly kiss on the damp porcelain cheek.

"I know, I'm hungry, too."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

When they got to the lounge (Ichigo listened to Toshiro's warning; his sweet dragon was not exactly a morning-sex person so it was his turn to play nice), they found the breakfast waiting for them as instructed. It was a simple but homely meal and they took time to enjoy the food, finally getting around to having a proper conversation about their separate lives, starting with the berry boy's.

"Since you had your last exams, I guess you are going into winter holidays soon."

"Yeah, I've got something to tell you about that. One of my sisters is going off on some kind of football camp for a month so I've gotta help out Pop at his clinic."

"I pray for the safety of the patients."

Ichigo rolled his eyes at the biting comment that the captain issued without even batting an eye before he smirked with a meaningful wink.

"Maybe you should come to the clinic and get some _personal_ experience of my professional care."

"Whatever."

Ichigo chuckled at the reddening cheeks and returned to what he was originally going to say.

"Anyway, I'm moving back for that month but I should be able to get away for Sundays."

Hitsugaya looked up for a minute but he soon nodded without any words and returned to his breakfast. Ichigo wondered briefly if that was a sign of the frigid captain's disappointment and added the last part of the news, keeping his eyes on Toshiro's face but the stoic mask remained firm, betraying nothing.

"I'll have another month free before school starts again though, so I'll stay over then."

Hitsugaya snickered.

"It's going to get noisy in here."

"If I can keep you in your bedroom for the whole month, yeah."

Ichigo laughed at the captain's glare, the baby cheeks blushing in crimson red. Once they had finished breakfast, Satsuki came in to clear up. They grabbed an extra layer for Ichigo before moving out into the back garden, a cup of steaming green tea in their hands. The garden looked rather bare as it was chilly winter and the brisk wind was sharp but pleasantly fresh. Hitsugaya, as expected, remained unaffected by the frosty temperature in his yukata that was as white as his hair.

"So, what's been going on here?"

The icy captain shrugged nonchalantly at the question.

"Nothing much. Same as usual."

"You always say that."

"Because that's what happens. There isn't much that can happen around here with no Aizen and his underlings, unlike your chaotic life in the real world."

"What about those murders?"

Hitsugaya frowned a bit at the question, the memory of the last captaincy meeting returning to him.

Sometimes when Ichigo stayed over for more than a few hours, he also visited his other friends -the list was pretty long; Rukia, Renji, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Shuuhei, Kira, and the latest addition to his list of 'dead' friends, Gin-, most of the time on his own since the immovable prodigy refused flat-out to leave his work. It was from one of those reunions that he had heard about the weird murders.

Hitsugaya rarely spoke about Soul Society's business to the substitute shinigami unless it either concerned him and the human world or Kurosaki first asked him about a specific business. It was not because he did not trust his lover; it was a simple matter of his personality that he did not make light chats out of his work.

"There was another one two days ago, well, three nights ago, but I don't really know anything else since the investigation is still off-limit."

"But there's something bugging you."

Hitsugaya looked at Kurosaki with surprised eyes at the unexpected comment.

"What?"

Ichigo shrugged casually as he sipped his tea. His lover's what could only be called as obsession with green tea had finally rubbed him off as well; apparently the hot tea was the only thing that got the irritated captain through his day, more specifically, his day with Matsumoto Rangiku who had a certain knack for ignoring mountains of papers.

"You had that look."

A white eyebrow rose at the uncharacteristically short answer from the orange-haired teen; that was usually what Hitsugaya did, not the loud, brash substitute shinigami. Maybe the newly found liking in green tea was not the only thing that was rubbing off him; no wonder he was getting smartass remarks from the stupid carrot-top.

"That look?"

"Look that says there's something nagging you."

Hitsugaya blinked. When had this rash carrot-top gotten to know him this well that he read all of his small, subtle signs? Ichigo chuckled at the typically stoic captain's stunned look.

"I'm your boyfriend, Toshiro, I love you. I'm always watching you, just not in the scary stalker way. You have lived with me for almost a year and you are not as poker-faced as you think you are, at least not to me."

With a faint blush creeping up, Hitsugaya huffed and turned away from the snickering strawberry but he could not stop his lips tugging upwards when he felt the strong arms coming around him from behind, his body pulled into the warm comforting heat of Kurosaki. The taller one kissed the snowy mane before asking.

"So? What is it?"

"I don't know."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at the answer; so there were times that the young genius didn't know things like this.

"You don't know?"

"Mm."

"That's odd."

When he heard Toshiro sighing heavily, Ichigo quickly changed the subject. It was a depressing topic and Ichigo did not want to ruin their peaceful morning -or any of the time in the next 48 hours- by reminding his workaholic boyfriend of anything even remotely resembling work.

"I'd say you are too tired from overworking. Anyway, since it's your exceptional day off, what are you planning to do?"

Hitsugaya looked up at the question; it was a cold but nice day, white clouds gliding across the clear blue sky. He honestly did not have anything in mind and with work not an option, he suddenly found himself with nothing else to do.

"No idea. What about you?"

Ichigo nuzzled his nose in the soft white spikes as he drank in the scent he had missed so much.

"I don't care as long as I get to stay with you."

"How romantic."

The captain's tone was clear enough even for the imperceptive carrot-top to catch the teasing sarcasm.

"Ah, you hurt me, yuki hime, didn't you miss me?"

Ichigo laughed when he felt a small hand slap his arm before grasping his clasped hands. He kissed the top of the head then turned the boy around in his arms, bending down to press his lips against Toshiro's. The warm contact was gentle and soft like a luring lullaby and there was a cosy smile on both of their faces when they broke apart.

"I wasn't all joking, you know."

Hitsugaya didn't say anything but wrapped his arms around Kurosaki's waist and snuggled into the embrace. Relaxing in the heart-warming comfort that only the teen could give, he let his mind drift off, forgetting about the murders, hollows, and paperwork, just for that moment, as he etched this one peaceful and complete moment in his mind. Before he knew it, a low murmur came out of his lips.

"I missed you, too."

Ichigo managed to suppress his laughs and tightened his hold around the stiff captain who seemed to have somehow managed to startle himself. While it still happened a little too rarely, there were times like this when it became blatantly obvious that the frosty dragon held the same intense love for him as Ichigo did for himself and Ichigo cherished every one of those moments. He braced the warm bundle in his arms, smiling into the silky spikes. There was no doubt, every time he saw Hitsugaya Toshiro and held him, it became clearer; his heart belonged to this small boy in his arms, to wherever this boy was.

"Toshiro."

Hitsugaya looked up from his snuggled place in response to Kurosaki's tone; it was unusually low and quiet, filled with such sincerity.

"Yes…?"

"Tadaima." (AN: I'm home)

The turquoise eyes widened then gradually, a tiny smile broke out on the icy captain's face as the single meaningful word sunk in. The small hands on Ichigo's back clenched the black fabric before a muffled reply came.

"Okairi." (AN: Welcome home)


	4. First Break Part II

**Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos [#03/?]**  
**Chapter rating**: PG-15 for sexual innuendo and violence and overload of sweetness  
**Chapter specific warning**: A very faint hint of ByaxRen, a totally whipped strawberry and a murder  
**Chapter specific spoiler**: None

**Chapter summary**: An enemy, thought to be dead, returns. And back in Seireitei, another life is lost to the cold hands of the cruel killer.

**Author's Note**

1. We have an old face returning to the story. More will be explained about him and his new 'friends' as the story goes on. SPOILER: Nelliel makes her appearance in her original form. I'm trying to keep her IC personality-wise but her story will be different from the original Bleach./p

2. Kazana is an OC; his name comes from -Man. His character is _very_ loosely based on "Lavi" persona from the said anime.

PS Thanks for all your reviews, I'm getting even more than when I wrote _Empathy_ and they really do keep me going. Keep'em coming please!

* * *

**:::::Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos by Kanon Ch.3::::: ****_First Break Part II_  
**_

* * *

…__Where am I?_

_"__Good evening.__"_

_…__Who are you?_

_"__The moon__'__s __beautiful__ tonight, isn__'__t it?__"_

_...Moon…_

_…__What__'__s that__…__A__…__ lullaby__…_

_Soothing__…__Sad__…__ Calm__…_

_There was a sudden, brisk movement somewhere in the shadowed room but the quiet song continued on, regardless of the other__'__s somewhat abrupt jolt._

_…__Nocturne of__…_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

It was always white and black in this place; nothing in between the two most definite colours of the world, the two shades that were opposite yet were, more often than not, paired together. Black was the darkness, the shadow that even the ugliest sin of the world could hide itself in, the mystery and the secrets, with a streak of twisted wildness and wicked passion. White was the light, the saviour that rescued even the worst sinner of the world, the pureness and the dignity, the symbol of the angelic sanctuary, yet with an undeniable air of sad isolation and fickle fragility.

There were no other colours that symbolised this world better than the bleak white and the holy black.

Uninviting, rough white sands stretched out beyond the horizon where it met the ultimate darkness of the sky that never left the wings of the goddess of night. Nothing ever changed in this godforsaken world; even the bleached crescent moon seemed to be forever in its curved shape as it threw its eerie light over the harsh desert.

"Oi."

A Menos, about the size of a human -so presumably, a Vasto Lorde-, did not give any sign that he had heard the call even though he must have, since it was the only sound in the perfect silence. A white bony mask with a horn covered his head and half of the face, jet black hair visible in the other uncovered half along with one single green eye. Numerous cuts and cracks covered the white bone that ran down to the shoulder where it separated to sheathe the arms and the hands. A sleeveless white coat billowed in the wind from a distant sandstorm that the Menos was watching, revealing a pale-green coloured hilt at his waist level.

"Oi."

"What."

The other Menos, about the same size, shook his head at the deadpan voice and just shrugged it off. This one's face was completely hidden behind its diamond-shaped mask which carried on to his chest in a cross and spiralled down his legs. His voice was full of mischief and childishness, the light-hearted tone sounding much unbefitting in the desolate world.

"Nelliel's looking for you."

"………"

"I've definitely passed on the message."

"How's it coming along?"

"Ask her yourself, you know I don't understand all the little details."

"…………"

"Well, I'm going back. Better come back soon, Ulquoirra, Nell's getting worried."

"Shut up, Kazana."

Kazana shrugged again and took off; he was used to Ulquoirra's anti-social behaviour and didn't really pay much attention to it anymore. Ulquoirra, now left alone again in the solitude silence of Hueco Mundo, took something out of his pocket. On his palm laid a silver bracelet, two ends connected by a thin metal chain; the accessory glistened in the unnatural moonlight, the sharp glint dangerous more than pretty.

This simple, bare-looking ring of grey metal was the only complete, unbroken thing left, the only one saved from the destruction, a memento of his once glorious past of serving his master as a Quadro Espada. He might have been only No.4 in power but he did not doubt that he would never be seconded by anyone when it came to royalty and faithfulness to the one that had changed his whole life.

Ulquoirra looked up again towards the direction where the debris of Las Noches still remained. Broken, battered walls stood there, barely enduring the blustery sandstorm, much of the wreckage now under the cover of surreal ashy sand. It was truly a sad sight for anyone who had seen what had once existed there, a grand palace that had been a symbol of their evolution and absolute power.

The green-eyed Vasto Lorde's face did not show any emotion as usual but the hand closed around the bracelet with gentle and firmness at the same time. This special bracelet would be the key to his plan once Nelliel succeeded in making the necessary alterations and its copies. He had already tested its ability a few times and was more than satisfied. With one last look beyond the sandstorm, Ulquoirra turned around sharply, the end of his white coat flapping wildly behind him.

'Aizen-sama. I will make full use of your last gift and avenge your untimely death. As for the two who had dared to kill you...'

A single visible green eye flashed dangerously.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hitsugaya blinked a few times as he tried to kick his sleepy brain into work. When he realised the sunlight creeping in through the rice-paper window was too strong to be that of a morning, he tried to sit up, only to find a strong arm around his waist pulling him back against a broad, warm chest.

The snow-crowned shinigami blushed a little, those baby cheeks gaining a healthy tinge of pink; Kurosaki was spooning him from behind, pressed flush against him, and both of them were stark naked under the cosy comforter. Last night had been one _very_ long one as they delighted in each other's touch and heat over and over again. In fact, they had only fallen asleep in the early morning once both of them were too exhausted to move even a finger.

The icy prodigy defiantly ignored the heat creeping up his cheeks at the memory of last night and turned around in the teen's arms as quietly as possible, only to be reminded of every moment he had cried out for the substitute shinigami that was currently in the deep abyss of peaceful slumber and every wanton movement his body had performed until just a few hours ago as soar pain shot through him from the lower back.

The blushing captain almost groaned out aloud at the recollection, feeling rather embarrassed now that the heat had passed over. The stupid strawberry had always been in rather desperate need whenever he came to visit but…

_'__I__…__ but are you really okay?__'_

_'__Are you saying you don__'__t want it?__'_

_'__Ain__'__t__ saying that!__ I__'__m just__…'_

_'__Then just shut up.__'_

Hitsugaya's baby cheeks were now redder than beetroot when possibly the worst -only in his opinion; Ichigo would say otherwise- memory came back; there was one time that the teen had been worried about the already overtaxed captain's wariness but the said shinigami had only pulled the substitute shinigami into another needy kiss, grinding his hip against Ichigo's and of course, the hormonal teen didn't stand a chance.

The white eyebrows knitted as Hitsugaya barely managed to stop himself from groaning out of mortification; he couldn't understand what had got over him last night. Even when he was seemingly drained of energy, something unknown had pushed the normally collected prodigy to continually seek out for those touches until it was physically impossible and Ichigo… well, let's just say he was only too happy -change that to ecstatic- to comply.

Hitsugaya briefly wondered if his white hair hadn't turned into crimson red like Abarai's yet, considering all the blood rushing to his face at the moment. He closed his eyes in a scowl and drove out all the scenes flashing through his mind -oh, but they were so wicked and hot and steamy and… okay, stop right there- before he dared to open them again.

And when he did, having succeeded in returning the blood back to the rest of his body, he finally could look at the substitute shinigami that filled his view.

The turquoise eyes started scanning the sleeping teen in front of him in undisturbed silence, Ichigo's regular, calm breathing ghosting over his face. The substitute shinigami's left arm was under the unruly orange mess, the right arm draped across his waist. It was a comforting weight, a reminder of the other's presence right next to him; Ichigo was _with_ him. The orange hair was in disarray as usual, shockingly standing out in the blend background. The eyebrows were smoothed out and the closed eyelids fluttered from time to time -maybe he's dreaming, Hitsugaya thought to himself-. The lips that had seared his body last night were now sealed and the bare shoulders were relaxed in a slight hunch.

"…Toshiro…"

Teal orbs darted up at an almost incomprehensible mumble -if the stupid strawberry caught him watching him, Hitsugaya would not hear the end of it for all the smugness in the world- only to find that Ichigo was still sound asleep. Hitsugaya scoffed when he realised Ichigo had just sleep-talked, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. It felt… so loved, so loving to know that his hopeless lover continued to seek for him even when he was off in dreamland. Not that the frosty captain would ever say it out, since the teen had a big enough head when it came to their relationship in the aloof shinigami's opinion.

Hitsugaya rolled his emerald eyes at the thought; he would never say it but Kurosaki's somewhat excessive self-satisfaction was something to be granted within reason, considering the changes in the icy master of Hyourinmaru the teen had achieved, even if they applied to only one substitute shinigami. After all, the once unapproachable, immovable captain had now warmed up to the impulsive but understanding teen and missed him enough for the statement to slip out of him unconsciously. He had never said those words before to anyone, not even Hinamori when she had left Rukongai, leaving him on his own, to live in the shinigami academy dorm.

When he was sure Ichigo was still deeply asleep, Hitsugaya took his eyes off the carrot-top and looked around them; considering how bright the room was, he assumed that it was past noon already.

Carefully prying Ichigo's arm off him, Hitsugaya gingerly sat up, frowning slightly at the pain that coursed through his overworked and stiff body (fighting and sex seemed to tax his body in different ways).

'…I seriously need a good bath.'

The perpetual scowl returned to the young prodigy's face at his strained body's screaming against the movement and it deepened with an irritated sigh when Hitsugaya realised that he had sent his servant away last night for some necessary privacy -the 'silence rule' or not, Hitsugaya was not going to have anyone else in the house-. It meant he would have to prep the bath himself and while the task itself wasn't much, it was the fact that he would have to wait for the water to be heated that frustrated the groggy captain. A pair of emerald jewels fell on the sleeping substitute shinigami next to him; Ichigo remained oblivious to the world, the eyelids remaining firmly closed.

Another sigh, this time, out of exasperation and succumbing, left the stiff captain and Hitsugaya looked for his yukata that was thrown aside last night. Thankfully, the garment laid within arm's reach and a small hand had just grabbed the white clothes when the arm that Hitsugaya had just taken off snaked around his waist again. Startled, he looked around to find a dopey-looking carrot-top beaming at him.

"Ohayo."

Hitsugaya stared down at Kurosaki for a while whilst the taller one yawned and stretched, before chuckling quietly at their reversed situation from the previous morning. The captain repeated the question that the carrot-top had asked when he had opened his eyes, the white yukata clenched in his hand all but forgotten.

"Did I wake you up?"

Ichigo shook his head as he pulled the white-haired boy towards him. Toshiro's skin was always so smooth and soft that Ichigo couldn't help but fall in love with it again and again every time he touched it. Curling around the slim waist, Ichigo buried his face in Toshiro's side, making the boy squirm at the ticklish feeling. Ichigo murmured against the warm skin as he laid a butterfly kiss and the wintry captain almost chuckled -no, he would never _giggle_ like a teenage girl- at the sensation, the lean body coiling away out of reflex.

"Where were you gonna go, leaving me here all alone? That's cold even for you, Toshiro."

Hitsugaya sniggered at the strawberry's childish whining tone and ruffled the messy orange hair with his free hand.

"I was going to take a bath without any 'interruption' from a certain idiot like yesterday morning. I'm in rather desperate need for an undisturbed one right now."

Chocolate eyes cracked open with worry and soon, a callused hand was rubbing the snow-topped captain's lower back, kneading the taut muscles. Ichigo turned onto his back again and looked up with an apologetic smile, a faint tinge of pink colouring his cheeks.

"Eh… Looks like we might have overdone it a little…?"

"Shut up."

"Ouch!"

Ichigo rubbed his head where Toshiro had just smacked -pretty hard, too-, consequently freeing the irritated -and flushed- captain. With a goofy smile, Ichigo took a deep breath in; the beddings smelt of his snowy lover and the frosty reiatsu joined with the warm heat next to him told him that he was in his own personal seventh heaven. Hitsugaya was just putting on his yukata and tying the obi loosely when Ichigo sat up and embraced him from behind.

"What's the point of putting it on if you are going into the bath anyway?"

"I'm not an exhibitionist nor am I a pervert like _someone_ I could name."

Ichigo ignored the whole line.

"There's no one else around except us. You sent Satsuki-san away after dinner last night, right?"

The emerald eyes widened at the question; the stupid idiot was not supposed to know that, that he had already foreseen, expected and wanted the… Okay, don't fall back into _that_ memory.

"How did you know that?"

Ichigo answered in an all-knowing tone, snickering at his boyfriend's beautiful blush; how he loved to see those china-white cheeks turn cherry red.

"I told you, I'm always watching you, Toshiro."

He added a peck on the burning cheek as he fumbled around behind him with his free hand, looking for his own yukata. It was a dark navy one that Hitsugaya had prepared for the substitute shinigami on his first night-over stay in Soul Society. When his blind grasping finally caught the soft material, Ichigo quickly donned it and stood up, holding his little dragon in his arms in a bridal style. Knowing from past experience that he was not going to be put down no matter what he said or did, Hitsugaya just shifted in the hold till he got comfortable and glared at the taller boy.

"You are not doing anything in the bath."

Ichigo chuckled as he brought them to the bathroom near the bedroom where they were pleasantly surprised to find the wooden tub already filled with heated water. Two of them looked at each other with the same question in their eyes.

"I wonder if Satsuki-san had come in, after all. Did you not feel her?"

The young captain, cradled in the strong arms and pressed against Ichigo's chest, shook his head and the spiked tendrils tickled the bare skin.

"No but my spiritual sense gets clouded a bit when you are nearby and Satsuki has pretty weak reiatsu too, so probably yours just covered hers up. I don't sense her right now, though."

"How do you know, if I cover hers up?"

Hitsugaya scoffed, rolling his radiant cerulean eyes; Ichigo wondered how those orbs could shine so brightly when his yuki hime had only just woken up, especially when the prodigy wasn't even a morning-person.

"I _am_ a captain. Even with your excessively emitted reiatsu, I can sense others if I just focus."

"Ah, well then. All the better, isn't it? The bath prepped and us all alone again. Perfect."

The frigid captain simply rolled his cerulean eyes -again- and the substitute shinigami gently lowered the stiff boy onto the floor, keeping his hold around the waist. The loosely tied obi was pulled and the yukata was slipped off the small body while Hitsugaya remained still, a faint smile lingering on his lips as the teen's touch remained chaste and loving.

Ichigo unwrapped his arm from the slim waist and gave a gentle push as he chucked the clothes out into the changing room, silently telling his lover to get into the water first. Since he didn't need to be told twice, Hitsugaya eagerly stepped into the bath while the chocolate-eyed teen took off his own yukata and joined the young prodigy in the steamy water. He sat down next to Toshiro and motioned for him to turn around and lay down on his tummy. The turquoise eyes instantly narrowed with a dangerous glint in them and the warning was clear in their glare; 'you will seriously regret it if you ignore this'.

"Hey, I was just going to give you a back-rub, okay? I promise I won't do anything else."

Hitsugaya looked at his -yes, _his_- idiotic strawberry with doubtful eyes for a moment before he slowly turned around. Folding his arms on the edge of the tub, he rested his snow-topped head on them, tilted sideways so that his cheek pressed against the crook of the arm. Once the captain had settled down, the surface of the water rippled gently as the orange-haired teen shifted to straddle the toned legs and a set of large, callused hands started to massage the tense shoulders before moving down the flawless back.

Hitsugaya almost hissed once in a while when Kurosaki found particularly hard knots but his muscles started to relax in the combination of gentle yet firm rubs and hot water and soon, the soothing, deft touches had almost had him falling back asleep. An unintended, relaxed sigh escaped his lips, echoing in the quiet bathroom and the substitute shinigami chuckled, moving back to sit next to the tranquil boy.

"Feel better now?"

There was a small blush in the porcelain cheeks as Toshiro sat up properly again, nodding, and Ichigo ran his hand through the white silks, smiling at how the cerulean eyes fluttered shut at the touch; to be able to feel the cotton-soft tendrils was one of a few privileges that only he was allowed to have. The hand moved back down to cup the baby cheek and a thumb brushed across the smooth skin.

"Do I get anything for the massage?"

Hitsugaya opened his eyes to find a certain carrot-top grinning like a Cheshire-cat at him and his eyebrows furrowed in the usual scowl although he didn't move away from Ichigo's gentle hold.

"What?"

The mischievous grin on Ichigo's face only grew wider at the question and Hitsugaya cocked an eyebrow.

"A kiss with three words."

As Ichigo had expected, his yuki hime's usually snowy cheeks turned into several shades of red before settling into a hint of pink, accompanied by a harsh -but with somewhat virgin-like embarrassment- glare at him; the sudden increase in the heat was palpable on his palm and the substitute shinigami had to chuckle, still amazed at how much passion and heat were hidden in this frosty wielder of the strongest ice-snow type zanpaktou. A gruff reply followed his request, the teal orbs filled with timidity, tentativeness and a little bit of embarrassment.

"You made me do that enough times last night."

"You know I can never get enough of it. C'mon, just once more? For the massage?"

Hitsugaya huffed at the cooing and crossed his arms across his chest.

"You are the one who offered it."

Ichigo grinned; his hand still remained on one side of his lover's scowling face and he knew he was going to get what he wanted at the end of their usual short bantering (or more like snapping from disgruntled Toshiro and cooing from Ichigo; one-sided or not, it was still bantering for them). He moved his hand up a little so that it rested on Toshiro's temple, his fingers tangled in the white mane while the palm remained on the side of the face.

"Oh, c'mon."

And in a blink, Ichigo's face was just inches from Toshiro's, his lips ghosting over the scrumptious petals but never closing the last few centimetres between them. Regular in and outflow of air tickled the sensitive flesh before Hitsugaya let out a growl somewhere between frustration and anticipation and wrapped his arms around Ichigo's neck, pulling the teen in roughly; the prickly captain never liked getting teased much.

Ichigo let his icy dragon take the control of the kiss as he opened his lips to let the shy but curious tongue in, gently nudging it with his own. Hitsugaya held the substitute shinigami's face in his petite hands as his tongue swept across the ceiling of the wet cavern before swirling around Ichigo's tongue and a breathy moan that neither cared about whom it came from resonated in the humid room. When they finally parted, their lungs having been deprived of oxygen for maybe a little too long, Hitsugaya pressed Ichigo's face onto his shoulder so that the teen couldn't see his face.

"…I love you."

It was almost inaudible and you would not have been able to hear it if you were more than just an inch away but the captain knew Ichigo had heard the all important words as Hitsugaya felt, rather than saw, a huge 'I'm the king of the world' grin spreading on the stupid strawberry's face and couldn't help but smile as well.

Then there was an unexpected ticklish lick on his shoulder, making him yelp and lose his hold on the orange-haired teen. Ichigo quickly pressed his lips on the tip of the perfect little nose before the half-amused, half-annoyed prodigy could make any complaint and leaned his forehead against his lover's.

"I love you, too."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ichigo spent the rest of the afternoon at the Kuchiki mansion where he had first dropped by to visit Rukia and was met with Byakuya and Renji as well. Hitsugaya had come (read _dragged_; Ichigo was not going anywhere without him but he didn't want to get punched by Rukia either) along with him, scowling as usual, and mostly stayed out of the three shinigamis' loud and frankly, stupid conversation with pointless rows between the carrot-top and the redhead, preferring to exchange a few quiet words with the stoic Kuchiki clan leader. If any of them thought it weird that the aloof tenth division captain accompanied the rash substitute shinigami for the teen's personal visit, no one showed or mentioned anything.

"So, Abarai taichou."

Ichigo's tone was full of sarcasm and Renji glared at him; the substitute shinigami still found it the most hilarious sight to see his redheaded friend in a captain haori that he had so far associated with only Hitsugaya Toshiro and Kuchiki Byakuya and whatever Renji did could not change his opinion. For the redhead, it was like when Rukia had found out about his promoted rank as the sixth division vice-captain except it was clear that Ichigo was getting WAY more of a kick out of teasing the new captain than his childhood friend ever did.

Ichigo smirked, knowing Renji would not dare do anything violent whilst under the roof of the Kuchiki mansion in fear of destroying something he could not pay back; the place was not just filled, but made with things the orange-haired teen had never even heard of and that was not just because this was Soul Society where there were still many things that the substitute shinigami did not know about.

"What were you doing here anyway?"

The new fifth division captain shifted uncomfortably at the question, making Ichigo raise his eyebrow, and at the same time, Hitsugaya's rose too, as he watched the usually invincible stoic mask of Kuchiki Byakuya falter unnoticeably. Rukia was just smiling innocently although the sparkle in her cobalt blue eyes said otherwise. A pair of auburn eyes darted around everyone in the room before settling on a blank wall behind Ichigo who was almost tempted to look around to see if anyone was there.

"I… I was just visiting, why, can't I?"

Being imperceptive as he was, Ichigo did not notice Byakuya's slight shift or Rukia's widening grin and shrugged nonchalantly. Of course, that didn't mean the observant prodigy didn't see them either but Hitsugaya remained quiet, sipping the exquisite tea that they had been offered.

"Not saying you can't, just thought all captains would be too busy to pay leisurely visits like this, so I thought something was going on."

It was Renji's turn to shrug, looking much more relaxed than just a few seconds ago.

"I'm not like Hitsugaya taichou."

Hitsugaya swiftly replied.

"You don't have Matsumoto as your vice-captain."

It made everyone laugh -well, obviously with the exception of Kuchiki Byakuya but he spared a sympathetic gaze at his colleague's frustrated and somewhat desperate tone-; Matsumoto Rangiku's daily excursion was notoriously famous along with the consequential amount of work the young prodigy ended up with. Why Hitsugaya put up with her was one of many mysteries that Seireitei held, along with why Ise Nanao never asked for a transfer to another division and why Soi Fon never asked for a new vice-captain when all hers did was showering her with cookie crumbs. Well, at least Oomaeda did his paperwork unlike Matsumoto.

Once the laughter subsided, Rukia asked Ichigo.

"So when are you going back?"

"Tonight, actually. I came by to say hi, you would've thrown a fit if I'd left without seeing you."

"So you did think about leaving without visiting me? Insolent brat."

Rukia huffed and was about to smack Ichigo when the noble head of the Kuchiki clan calmly interrupted, reprimanding her for the unsophisticated language though the tone remained fairly gentle. Ichigo snickered while the petite girl offered a sheepish apology and looked away with a grin when the deep blue eyes shot daggers at him. Since the Aizen incident, the relationship between the two Kuchikis had vastly improved in their own way and Ichigo was more than happy to hear there was no fear or nervousness in his friend's voice anymore when she asked the stoic captain.

"Nii-sama, would it be okay to invite our guests for dinner?"

The sixth division captain stared at his adopted sister for a moment before shifting his gaze to the substitute shinigami and the famed prodigy.

"If you do not have any prior arrangements, I will let the servants know."

Ichigo grinned; it was either this or dinner back at Toshiro's place and as much as he liked having dinner with his boyfriend all alone, he wanted to see what the great noble's dinner was like as well. Seeing that his counterpart was not going to make any objection, Ichigo nodded.

"Yeah, that would be great. Thanks, Byakuya."

The substitute shinigami caught the elegant black eyebrow twitch at the name but easily ignored it -enough experience of that, after all, from a certain dragon- as he returned to his conversation with Rukia and Renji when he saw his yuki hime leaving the room.

Hitsugaya had excused himself from the room for a moment to summon a hell butterfly for Satsuki to send a message about the sudden change in the dinner plan when he felt a pair of arms slipping around him. He didn't need to turn around to see who it was.

"Kurosaki, you better start calling Kuchiki taichou with his title before he comes up with a plan to shower you with his Senbonzakura."

"And I'll just deflect every petal with my bankai again, so don't worry."

Hitsugaya sighed; he had known what the brash teen was going to obviously say and wondered why he even tried. Knowing that they were hidden in the shadows of the maze-like corridors, the tenth division captain leaned into the substitute shinigami and murmured quietly.

"Is there something going on between Kuchiki taichou and Abarai?"

The reply was just as quiet as his question, a barely audible whisper in his ear.

"Why no taichou for Renji?"

Hitsugaya shrugged.

"That's how I've called him for a long time. Abarai had been a fukutaichou for much longer than he had been a taichou, after all. Anyway, what do you think?"

Ichigo nuzzled the pure white tuft as he thought about how his mate had looked rather uncomfortable when he asked him about his presence in the Kuchiki mansion. He knew very well that Renji and Rukia were another of those Rukongai family relationships and so he hadn't been too surprised to find the former vice-captain of the sixth division here although why Byakuya was with them as well was, or rather, had been beyond him.

"If you say so, but you really think Byakuya and Renji have got it going? I mean… Renji does have some bizarre obsession over that guy but Byakuya actually accepting Renji? With all his 'stick to the rules or die' stuff?"

The wintry prodigy snorted, not at the idea of the Kuchiki noble with the rowdy redhead but at the idea that Kurosaki thought it was somewhat impossible for the stoic sixth division captain to have something with the loud but passionate fifth division captain. From his point of view, his own relationship with the stupid strawberry didn't seem that different. Oh sure, the tenth division captain wasn't a noble, he was also from Rukongai, but the rather brilliant clash between two personalities was something to be recognised in both cases, if there was something more than comradeship or friendship between the two captains currently sitting in the room.

"And you think people can imagine me getting involved with you?"

Ichigo deliberately tousled the fluffy white hair with more roughness than necessary and snickered when his snappy dragon glared at him, swatting his hand away. Hitsugaya just shook his head to get rid of the unkempt tangles and extricated himself from Kurosaki's embrace, sending another glare at the smirking teen, before he returned to the room, Ichigo in tow. The lively, vibrant conversation continued again while Byakuya stayed silent for most of it, Hitsugaya throwing in a share of his usual frigid, sarcastic comments, making everyone laugh at the substitute shinigami's expense.

When the dinner was served later on that evening, Ichigo shamelessly gawked at the food -Rukia smirked and Renji swore his ex-captain's lips were not in a straight line any more- and was very glad that he had stayed for dinner; perfectly cooked food was presented in delicate designs, served on beautiful plates and bowls. Meals served in the tenth division captain's quarter were pretty good stuff too, but this was at a completely different level. Apart from the sheer size of the Kuchiki mansion, this was his first real taste of nobility and for a while, he just sat there, staring at the food until Hitsugaya poked his side under the table.

When the delicious and elegant dinner was finished, Ichigo and Hitsugaya decided it was time to leave since they wanted some time for themselves before Ichigo's return. It had been rather awkward when Rukia said she would come to Senkaimon to see Ichigo off but the substitute shinigami managed to stop her saying he had a few more people to see before leaving.

"'Kay, then. I'll see you again sometime, Rukia. Thanks for the dinner, Byakuya."

"Oi, are you not going to say anything to me?"

Ichigo sniggered at the redhead.

"Yeah, you still look dead funny in haori."

Renji smacked Ichigo's head and throttled the teen with his arm around the neck, both of them laughing.

"Shaddup, bakayaro."

Hitsugaya sighed at their childish brawl and politely nodded to the sixth division captain who merely watched the friendly scuffle between his former vice-captain and the rash ryoka with… now that's something, Hitsugaya thought, as he wondered if he had seen a faint glimpse of amusement in the obsidian eyes.

"Thank you for the dinner, Kuchiki taichou."

The aristocrat shinigami turned to face the young captain, his stoic face never betraying a single emotion and the midnight eyes as solemn as usual, and Hitsugaya wondered if he had imagined the glimmer just a second ago.

"You're welcome, Hitsugaya taichou."

The sun had set a long time ago and as the two shinigamis made their way back, all they could hear in the dark streets were random laughter and loud shouts, most likely from shinigamis who were moving onto their drinking places after dinner. The air was chilly and the wind sharp, making Ichigo shiver at the unforgiving coldness, although the frosty captain didn't look affected at all. Thankfully, the walk, or rather, the shunpo, was short-lasted and they soon landed on the roof of Hitsugaya's quarter with practiced ease. Jumping down from the roof, they headed for what was their sanctum -in other words, the bedroom- and as soon as the door slid closed behind them, Ichigo grabbed the small captain and swung him around, pulling him into his arms.

"Can't believe how quick the time passed."

Hitsugaya didn't say anything but clenched the front of Kurosaki's shihakshou as he drew himself close to the teen. Steady, regular heartbeats echoed around his ear pressed against the broad chest like a soft lullaby, bringing limitless comfort and calmness.

Only in Ichigo's hold would the aloof captain relax this much and only to Ichigo would he show such affection and Ichigo knew it very well as he tightened his hold and cuddled the warm bundle, breathing in the fresh scent. When the substitute shinigami felt the white-crowned head nestling on his shoulder, the chocolate eyes sparkled with warm happiness. His frigid dragon had changed a lot albeit unknown to others, and these days, whenever Ichigo offered his warmth, Toshiro would readily give in with little or no tentativeness. As long as they were alone, that is; not that Ichigo minded, he wasn't a flaunter type to go for a public display either.

Ichigo sighed when his lungs were filled with his special dragon's scent, the warmth in his arms so sweet and simply perfect. Truth be spoken, the orange-haired teen knew he had fallen head over heels about his boyfriend and could go unbelievably corny, but he couldn't care less if that meant he could keep this prickly brat to himself in his arms like this. Ichigo chuckled; there I go clichéd again, he thought to himself. Then he remembered something and broke the cosy silence with a tone of clear amusement and a hint of shyness that didn't suit the impulsive, loud teen.

"You know what Kon said to me?"

Hitsugaya never met the mod soul properly but was aware of him and his -according to Kurosaki- annoying traits.

"What?"

"Says I'm totally whipped."

"…Whipped?"

Hitsugaya frowned, not catching the human slang, and Ichigo laughed. He loosened his hold and bent down to plant a chaste kiss on the creased forehead.

"It means you've got me under total control."

Then another kiss on the nose which crinkled at the touch.

"'Cuz I've fallen for you so hard."

Then the lips landed on the last destination and a tongue flicked out to lick the sweet petals.

"But I'm too happy to care much about that."

A timid smile adorned the prodigy captain's face along with pink tinges before two pairs of lips met, gently meshing. Once he had pried the tender flesh open, Ichigo's tongue entered the warm haven and caressed everywhere, not a single corner left untouched, as if he was trying to memorise each curve and dip. When the long kiss ended and the two lovers parted with somewhat shallow breathing, Ichigo couldn't help but smile at how Toshiro's radiant emerald eyes remained closed, lips parted, as if he was lost in time, savouring the lingering touch. Then the teal orbs fluttered open and looked directly into the hazelnut ones with such intensity that made Ichigo shudder involuntarily.

"Well then, he'll just have to get used to it, won't he, since it's not going to end any time soon."

Ichigo stared at his boyfriend with unhidden surprise while Hitsugaya scoffed at the gaping.

"Boke."

Ignoring the 'Toshiro-version' pet name, Ichigo cracked a huge, wicked smile, the chocolate eyes shining with joy and happiness. Without wasting another second, Ichigo dipped down for another kiss.

Really, how could anyone not love such an adorable brat?

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

By the time Ichigo had returned to the human world, it was just after midnight and the shoten was immersed in dark silence. Careful not to make too much noise, Ichigo dropped a note for Urahara thanking him, then sped off to his flat. As he had expected, Kon was sprawled out on his bed, mumbling something about not touching there; Ichigo decided he did not want to hear any more of the perverted mod soul's sleep-talking.

"Oi, Kon, get up!"

And with one ungracious but effective kick, Kon was on the floor in a pose Ichigo didn't think his body could possibly strike. The mod soul grumbled, still half-asleep, and then saw Ichigo squatting on the bed, looking down at him, the orange eyebrows knitted in a scowl.

"Oh, you are back."

"Of course I'm back. Now, out."

In an instant, Ichigo was back in his own body, feeling a little stiff after having spent two days out of it. He didn't even want to think about what it would have been like to return to the physical body after saving Rukia, having spent more than just a few days out of it; oh the horror. For once, the substitute shinigami felt grateful for the annoying mod soul who kept his body 'alive' while he was gone.

"So, what happened while I was away?"

Kon, back in the stuffed lion toy, suddenly blanched at Ichigo's question and the scowling teen glared at him.

"Kon, I told you…"

"No! I haven't done anything, I couldn't even go out. After you left on Saturday, Inoue-san came to see you then she realised you weren't here and I was alone and… and…"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow as the stuffed toy paled even more if that was possible. Kon shuddered at the memory then launched himself onto Ichigo with tears flowing down his face like two flooded rivers.

"Then she _cooked_ for me!!!!!!!!! I felt so sick that I had to stay at home all day on Sunday!!!!!"

The brown-eyed teen was torn between laughing his head off and pitying the mod soul; Inoue's cooking was renowned for its… unique combination and as far as he knew, the only person who had same twisted taste buds -as much as he liked the girl, there had to be something very wrong- as Inoue was Matsumoto Rangiku. The mod soul continued to wail, clinging onto the white sleeveless T-shirt.

"It was horrible! I love that girl and her valleys of the Gods, but it was a nightmare! She fed me things I've never even heard of!"

A shudder ran down Ichigo's spine, suddenly feeling like he had been rescued from a certain near-death experience. Nevertheless, he grabbed the head of the sobbing lion and pried him off his T-shirt, putting him down on the desk instead of the usual throwing out of rare pity for the mod soul.

"Yeah, well, that's Inoue. Anything else?"

"What do you mean, 'anything else'?!! Shouldn't you show some sympathy for me?!!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes; he was used to the dramatic wailing and flailing of the stupid mod soul. Then he remembered something that would shut Kon up and snickered.

"Well, I've got news for you, a message from Toshiro."

Kon blinked. He hadn't met the tenth division captain in person yet as Ichigo usually kept the mod soul out of any objects that could possibly move -in other words, in his pill mode- while the white-haired shinigami stayed at his place so he couldn't imagine what Ichigo's lover would have to say to him.

"Hah?"

The Cheshire-cat grin grew wider.

"He says you better get used to me being sappy 'cuz it's not going to end any time soon."

Ichigo smirked as Kon just opened and closed his mouth in silence, demonstrating that a lion could most definitely look like a fish, and got into his bed. It felt so cold and empty without the surprising warmth of his wintry dragon in his arms but he still could sense the fresh scent lingering in his nose and a smile tugged at the corner of the lips as he relived the last 48 hours in his mind. Ichigo snickered as he closed his eyes.

Yup, he was totally whipped.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ah, damn, Kobayashi thought to himself as his unsteady hands felt for the pocket inside the shihakshou, grasping the last few remaining coins. He knew he shouldn't have joined the gambling but as usual, he ignored his inner voice and yet again, lost most of his wage and now faced a month's doom.

However at this moment, he didn't worry too much about that; he was going to be promoted soon to a seated officer and alcohol was still interfering with his brain for him to carry out such petty tasks such as 'worrying'. At least he had managed to drag himself away from the game before his balance turned minus. It was more than what he could say for the other nights he had been pulled into what was supposed to be casual betting.

The midnight sky was filled with clouds tonight -perhaps it was going to rain tomorrow-, the usual blackness mixed with dark grey streaks as if a thick brush with not enough ink had roughly slid across the obsidian canvas, hiding the sole source of natural light away from Seireitei. Not that it made much difference. Even when the moon basked the Court in its silvery light, the high walls of the streets cast shadows and plunged the passers-by into seemingly endless darkness.

Kobayashi had turned around the last corner before his place when he felt an abrupt chill running down his spine. Tilting his head sideway, he looked around slightly with dopey eyes. When he didn't see anyone, he just shrugged it off to the brisk arctic wind and resumed his shaky walk. It wasn't long before his somewhat hazy view recognised his house and Kobayashi fumbled around for the key as he commanded his wary, drunk feet to give him that last few steps to the door when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Hah…?!!"

In the blink of an eye, a shiny blade was protruding menacingly through Kobayashi's neck, the body going limp in a split second as the last breath of life left the pitiful soul. There was a soft thud as Kobayashi, or what was once Kobayashi, fell onto the ground then the figure, hidden in the black wings of night, knelt down and stared at the body before the glistening -how it shone when there was no light, no one would know- blade started to dance around again.

It wasn't long before the figure calmly rose and walked away. Each step was silent and light but with power and elegance. The hidden face never turned back to look at what was left behind and the form simply dissipated into the complete darkness in an absolute silence and Kobayashi's mangled body lied on the empty, chilly street for hours, all alone, until a shriek rang out, breaking the peaceful spell of sleety morning in Seireitei.


	5. Return of a foe

**Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos [#04/?]**  
**Chapter rating**: PG-13, probably?  
**Chapter specific warning**: A bad pun of a name, a very faint ShuuxYumi and a major GinxKira at the end  
**Chapter specific spoiler**: None

**Chapter summary**: While Gotei 13 is at loss regarding the murders, the plan unknown to them moves on. But for Matsumoto, there is something a little more important.

**Author's Note**:

1. If you have watched the Arrancar Arc, you will remember the bracelet Ulquoirra gave Inoue. It is the same bracelet that I am writing about but I have tweaked a few details to suit the story. More will be explained later.

2. A letter is mentioned later but unlike the ones Ichigo send to Toshiro, this one is just a folded paper. It's like the one Byakuya received from Yamamoto in anime episode 87, except I've added a string around it. Those traditional papers are actually quite thin and make a lot of rustling sounds from what I can remember. It has been more than ten years since I last did calligraphy.

3. We have **GinxKira** coming in! Since I have made Ichimaru a good guy in _Empathy_, I've turned them into another sweet couple although Kira returns to his usual timid self, now that he had his outburst at the end of the War when he met Ichimaru again. I hope you like how I've portrayed them. I've got Matsumoto calling Ichimaru with his first name in private since they have returned to their old relationship.

PS Thanks for all your reviews, I absolutely love reading them and they keep me going when I just get really tired. I have never written for so long in my whole life -it's been more or less non-stop since _Empathy_- and despite having a quite clear storyline in my head, I'm having a bit of trouble in keeping going. So please keep'em coming!**  
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**:::::Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos by Kanon Ch.4::::: _Return of a foe_  
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**A half-human, half-ram female was hunched over a desk, oblivious to the dull sea-green hair spilling down, the unkempt but beautiful waves surrounding her gentle features. However for the absorbed Menos, the thin tendrils were just getting in her way, something to stay tucked behind her ears as she concentrated on an object in front of her.

"Nelliel!"

There was a quiet sigh from the female Menos but when the voice carried such childlike innocence and naivety, it was hard to do anything else but smile at the owner, who was just as bubbly as the tone. It was a wonder that such a Vasto Lorde actually existed; in Espadas, there were only two types, one like Ulquoirra and one like Grimmjow. Either you -in Kazana's word- mope or you are battle-crazed. Period.

"Hi, Kazana. Where's Ulquiorra?"

"He's back in his room, sulking as usual."

Nelliel smiled somewhat awkwardly at the casual answer before she returned to her experiment. On the desk before her sat a black metal bracelet, small cracks here and there, two ends linked by a thin chain. Kazana came and leaned over her as he eyed the accessory with invisible curiosity hidden behind his diamond-shaped mask.

"So this is supposed to do… what?"

Nelliel sighed, wondering yet again if Kazana had a memory problem despite all his curiosity. Or maybe it was because he was so curious about everything that he couldn't quite retain all the information he received. However she smiled warmly as she answered the question with practised ease.

"Well… It's supposed to put a special spiritual barrier around the wearer so that only those who are wearing the same bracelets can detect each other."

"Rrrriiiiiigggghhhtttt…"

Nelliel chuckled at the droned out answer; Kazana clearly didn't really get it. Frankly speaking, she didn't understand everything either. She picked up the fragile accessory with great caution and eyed it with mild frustration. Kazana leaned in to get a closer look but he didn't dare touch it; Nelliel was a great girl with unimaginable gentleness but she was definitely strong and when she got angry… she could do just about anything, really. And the jolly Menos didn't want her to get angry; she was the only one who didn't swat him away like he was some sort of an annoying fly when he was in one of his never-ending question modes.

"According to Ulquoirra, it should even give you the ability to walk through things."

Kazana tilted his head, confusion obvious in his action.

"How?"

Nelliel placed the bracelet back down on the cold, shiny metal desk and cursed quietly when another small piece crumbled away.

"Well, I'm still studying the original one, which is the only one working right now. Ulquoirra told me that Aizen-sama had just finished perfecting the bracelet for a human girl. It seems that the girl's rejection technique gave him the idea for it and Aizen-sama gave it to Ulquoirra to use on her when he orders to bring her. But then his eyes caught the shinigamis that killed him."

"Oh, the ones that Ulquiorra wants to shred, right? He's bloody obsessed with them."

The small but warm smile faltered a little but Kazana didn't notice and Nelliel quickly returned to their original topic.

"For now, Ulquoirra's is the only one stable enough to be used in practical. I'm trying to figure out how they made it but it's difficult since all the equipments and works got blown up."

"So Ulquoirra can use the bracelet? I thought that one was made for Arrancars?"

Nelliel nodded, somewhat surprised that Kazana, who had a knack for missing details, caught the small but important fact about the all important accessory.

"Yes but in broad terms, Arrancars are Hollows, right? It's just an evolved form, like ourselves. It's not working as well as it should but I'm making a few adjustments to suit our reiatsu. I've already done some work on it and Ulquiorra's been testing it."

"How?"

Kazana was one very curious Menos for sure, which was a trait rarely -possibly never- found in tainted souls whose only desire was for any delicious souls to devour. Whether it was a streak that developed with his evolution to a Vasto Lorde or was originally a part of him, Nelliel would never know but she knew she was one of very few who could endure his incessant questions.

"I don't know. I just give it back to him when I'm done and he comes back to me a few days later to tell me the result."

The diamond-shaped mask lifted up and faced Nelliel who was almost glaring at the battered bracelet which was very unusual from the calm and collected Vasto Lorde, but Nelliel had a good reason for her unusual exhibition of annoyance; this one was as close as she got to the original so far, yet was obviously a failure.

"Ne, Nelliel."

The pale brown eyes stayed on the bracelet as the thought process was rushing in 100mph, only half-listening to what was sure to be followed by another question.

"Yes?"

"Why are you doing this?"

Nelliel looked up at the jovial Vasto Lorde at the unexpected question. With that mask hiding his whole face, it was hard to tell what Kazana looked like at the moment but the voice had lost all its bubbles as if the curious Meno had suddenly had an epiphany and decided to act accordingly to his level of power.

"What do you mean?"

Kazana shrugged casually as he jumped up and sat himself down at the edge of the cold metal table. Nelliel blinked; that streak of seriousness had disappeared in a split second that it took him to sit on the smooth surface.

"I mean, you didn't exactly like that Aizen guy from what I can tell. You know that Ulquoirra is doing this whole thing to avenge his dead master. I don't see why you would come back and help Ulquoirra."

Nelliel stared at the diamond-shaped mask for a moment before she lowered her eyes to the bracelet and smiled without saying anything. For all the curiosity he possessed, Kazana certainly wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer and tended to miss many little signs. Which was, in a way, a good thing for her. As much as she liked the happy-go-lucky Vasto Lorde, she didn't need another string of questions about _that_.

Kazana tilted his head again; he couldn't understand why Nelliel looked like she was crying even though she was smiling. Realising that he wasn't going to get any answer, Kazana jumped off from the desk and announced his departure to which the beautiful woman smiled again, this time, back to her usual gentle one. When Kazana disappeared behind the closed door, Nelliel gazed at it blankly, forgetting about the bracelet, if only momentarily.

"…Yes, Kazana… Sometimes I wonder why as well… Even when I know it's hopeless..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_The small room was filled with blank despair, the __heart-breaking stench of broken hope heavily descending and clogging the ground. __It was pitch black as usual, the fragile rice-paper of the single window apparently thick enough to block out the silvery moonlight, __hindering__the desperate attempt of __the sole light of hope that could shatter the misery and mend the lost heart__to__ reach out to__ the __solitary, lonely __occupant. _

_The nightmarish time had passed yet still dwelt on __with__in this room and the sound of the pieces of a tattered heart falling away into immeasurable abyss was almost audible as the air remained in thick silence, laced with intolerable anguish. _

_There was no other word to describe what the __forlorn__ figure projected; it was a pure dejection, an extreme melancholia. _

_The melody that the __soundless__ air played was of sheer devastation._

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Matsumoto tapped the end of the brush on her pout lips, staring at the paper in front of her but seeing it through, her pale grey eyes speaking -rather, screaming- of boredom. Hitsugaya had been summoned for a sudden captaincy meeting and had left her in charge until his return.

Over the weekend, she had taken care of the division while her captain took a rare holiday. The playful but loyal vice-captain didn't ask too much into detail when her captain announced his leave for 48 hours. What was there to ask? There was only one thing, or rather, one person that the aloof, dutiful captain would pull himself away from work for. The buxom woman was very glad to hear the news actually. The last time her captain -who was way too serious about work for his own good- had taken a day off was………

Matsumoto frowned, when was the last time Hitsugaya took a break out of his own will? Well, the point was her irritable captain took time off his incessant duties -that came with his captaincy; it had nothing to do with her- for his lover.

The jovial woman giggled at the thought; oh how she loved knowing about the new love blossoming in the icy captain's life. It had been almost a miracle that Hitsugaya had missed her message about her visit, otherwise she would have never found it out or at least not in such an interesting way. And it had been a very interesting scene indeed that she walked in on too; ask anyone in Seireitei to imagine a flushed Hitsugaya Toshiro kissing and writhing, under Kurosaki Ichigo no less, and they will probably send you to the forth division for a check-up.

Returning to her original thoughts -with great effort; her little captain had looked at a state of OHMYGOD at the time-, so _the_ Hitsugaya Toshiro had finally taken what might have been his first ever holiday. Matsumoto had been hoping to get a glimpse of the two lovebirds -lovedragons?- but as far as she knew, they didn't leave Hitsugaya's private quarter and crashing into the premises was something even the legendary daredevil of the tenth division, Matsumoto Rangiku, would not dare to do unless the future of Seireitei depended on it. The captains' quarters were off-limit for a reason and in Hitsugaya's case, it guaranteed the wrath of the mythical ruler of ice -more than- 200 to intrude the privacy and the rest that the young prodigy allowed himself so rarely.

Therefore this morning, Matsumoto had made an extra effort to get to the office in time, ready to pounce on her captain and ask him about his once-in-a-lifetime leave -oh she wouldn't dare tease him, of course not-, only to have him carried off to a captaincy meeting.

Which was why now she was in the empty -the abundant stacks of papers right in front of her conveniently slipped out of her mind- administration office by herself, blankly staring at a random paper while her mind was busy building a strategy to get the most information out of the irritable prodigy about his weekend with the least possibility of having her precious bust -along with the rest of her body- frozen.

Then her silvery eyes strayed off to a calendar on the corner of her desk and she let out a soft gasp at what she saw. Matsumoto grabbed the dated chart and when she confirmed what she was looking at, she broke into a big smile. She didn't have good sense of time, which was one of very few common points the captain and the vice-captain of the tenth division shared although the reason behind it was completely different; Hitsugaya had too much work for anything else, Matsumoto simply did not care. However for a few days, she would have to keep her eyes on it and most importantly, get in contact with a certain carrot-top.

She was in the middle of writing a letter at top speed -if she did paperwork at this rate, Hitsugaya probably could afford a whole week off every month-, filled with what seemed like such brilliant ideas, seemingly flowing out of her mind like a river bursting its banks, when she felt the telltale frosty reiatsu approaching. Matsumoto had just managed to shove the letter in her shihakshou when the office door slid open to reveal a frowning prodigy.

"Taichou!"

Hitsugaya came out of his thoughts at his vice-captain's voice and was stunned for a minute at the scene. Matsumoto Ragiku, notorious for her daily hangovers and tardiness, was _sober_ and awake, moreover, she was actually sitting _at_ her desk with a brush _in_ her hand. He instantly scowled again.

"And what on earth are you planning this time?"

The jolly vice-captain smiled innocently.

"Of course I'm not planning anything, taichou! So how was the meeting?"

The question easily got the occupied captain's attention off her unusual behaviour and Matsumoto inwardly punched the air when Hitsugaya walked past her to his own desk, which was once more covered in what seemed to be never-ending papers, without another word about her.

"There was another murder last night."

The ashy eyes widened and the cheeky grin quickly disappeared from Matsumoto's face, replaced with a worried frown.

"Another one? It was only what, four days ago since the third one took place?!"

"Ah."

Hitsugaya's scowl grew deeper at the exclamation as he ran his hand through the soft white spikes, sitting down with a quick glance at the piles of paper on the polished surface. Now too used to seeing the endless mountains of white sheets, the prodigy captain did not even sigh or flinch.

"Who was it, taichou?"

"Kobayashi Kousuke from the third division."

Matsumoto treaded back in her memory, recalling each of the victims so far and the divisions they had belonged to.

"First it was from the fifth division, then the twelfth and the ninth… And now, the third… Except the second victim, they had…"

The vice-captain didn't finish her sentence but Hitsugaya knew what she was about to say. Save the second fatality, three out of four had been in what have been wrongly labelled as 'defected divisions' between the shinigamis. Hitsugaya did not like the name one bit nor did any other captains and understandably, Abarai and Hisagi hated it; everyone just assumed Ichimaru did not like it since he would only give his unreadable smile. It had been the previous captains, not the divisions that had betrayed Soul Society, and the attitude other shinigamis presented was making the newly promoted -or reinstated in Ichimaru's case- captains' jobs unnecessarily difficult.

Thankfully, the fifth division was forming a close relationship with the sixth due to their captains -Abarai was found in Kuchiki's office as much as he was found in his own-, the ninth with the seventh as Komamura continued his support for Hisagi and sometimes, the eleventh as well who helped -or at least, attempted to- in their own bizarre way, mainly led by the energetic pink ball of terror that they had to call their vice-captain who missed her caretaker. Yumichika had been as close to sanity as any eleventh division member could get, then of course, there was Madarame Ikkaku who also came over to see his long-time friend.

These so-called helps weren't appreciated much by Hisagi who had to deal with the trail of utter destruction they left behind but Shuuhei's frustration at his old teammates equalled Yumichika's laughs so the ninth division never made any serious complaint.

The third division had it much easier than the other two thanks to Ichimaru having been a spy rather than a real defector but his reinstatement has caused many unpleasant whispers and rumours especially from those who thought Ichimarud had failed in his job thus causing too many losses that could have been avoided.

However the division had also found some form of friendship in none other than the tenth and the credit usually went to Matsumoto and her relationship with Ichimaru and Kira although a few would say Hitsugaya was helping as well since he had once defended Ichimaru's reinstatement.

Truth be spoken, the cold prodigy had simply been logical with rules rather than being sympathetic towards the infamous ex-spy; objectively, he would admit Ichimaru had the skills to be a captain and that the silver-haired man had saved his strawberry from a certain death at the War, but it didn't mean he had to like the guy personally. Kurosaki had once told him about what Kuchiki Rukia had said about the ex-spy and to a certain extent, Hitsugaya agreed with her; there was and still is, always that air about him which made him feel somewhat disturbed.

"Is the investigation still not open?"

The cotton-soft spikes waved in the air as the captain shook his head.

"It won't until Onmitsukidou thinks there's an outsider involved and from what I can tell, they still think it's one of us. There has been no other disturbance for them to think otherwise."

Hitsugaya frowned; there were so many things about these cases that he could not understand. What was the killer's motive? Were these random murders or was the killer picking off shinigamis from the 'defected divisions'? Then, what about the second victim who was from the twelfth? Why did the killer dismember the dead body like that?

Most importantly, who was this killer?

He felt quite frustrated at not having the required information to base any theories on and let out an irritated sigh. Soi Fon and Onmitsukidou really had their work cut out, Hitsugaya thought to himself, as he tried to reel in his fleeting concentration onto the paperwork in front of him for now. As far as he could tell, all the other captains were bothered by these murders as much as him so hopefully, everyone was watching out for any signs of anomaly in Seireitei. All they could hope for was that they did not have an Aizen-wannabe in their hands.

Hitsugaya had finally managed to take his mind off the murders and focus his attention on the first paper when his brilliantly helpful -not- vice-captain decided to do what she does best; breaking his concentration and irritating him. That sly tone of hers was just the icing on the cake.

"So taichou, how was your weekend?"

One bulging vein.

"It was fine, Matsumoto. Do your paperwork."

"What did you do? I didn't see you around anywhere."

Two bulging veins.

"You wouldn't have because the whole point of me taking a weekend off was to not come into the office."

"Of coooouuurrrsssseeee."

Three bulging veins.

"Matsumoto, what I do on leave is my own business. Since you've managed to progress to the point where you are holding a brush, you might as well make use of it."

"Sure, taichou. Ah, taichou, would you like some _strawberries_? Orihime taught me this thing called _whipped_ _cream_ that you can _eat_ them with."

Four popped veins with crimson flush.

"MATSUMOTO!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Urahara-san! Urahara-san!"

"Here, Kursosaki-san."

Ichigo nearly jumped out of his skin when the shoten owner materialised seemingly out of nowhere in the shadowed shop; he might have learnt how to control his reiatsu but sensing other's was another matter and frankly, as long as he could feel a certain icy reiatsu, he didn't really care about others.

"So you got a letter for me from Soul Society?"

Urahara whipped open his fan again with a grin and handed over a folded piece of paper. Ichigo eyed it curiously before he took it. He had come back from Soul Society only two days ago so he had been rather surprised when the erratic former captain rang him about a letter addressed to him.

"When did this come through?"

"This morning. I assume it's from Hitsugaya taichou?"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow in a questioning look at the letter and untied the thin string that was tied around the fragile paper.

"Probably, but I'm bit surpri… Oh. It's not."

"Oh?"

"It's from Rangiku-san."

Ichigo read the letter on the spot and a smile spread out on his face slowly. He had been meaning to contact her about it anyway and was glad that they were thinking along the same lines. Urahara had been watching him and sensing the upcoming mischievousness -he would, wouldn't he? How could Urahara Kisuke miss the sweet scent of a prank-, he asked, hidden behind his fan.

"Would it be that you are planning something?"

The substitute shinigami nodded with a wicked grin. A pair of chocolate-coloured eyes shone brightly even in the darkened shop and Urahara had to smile softly behind his fan; it was always good to see the young teen actually acting his age rather than a saviour of the world with the weight of humans and souls on his shoulders.

"Yeah. Actually, it'll be great if you could help us out, Urahara-san."

The midnight eyes glowed with cheekiness and the blond man snapped his fan shut in his usual dramatic way, a flamboyant smile almost bursting with eagerness.

"Of course! So what are we doing?"

Ichigo chuckled at how the older man's face morphed into a huge innocent, juvenile smile, the eyes visibly sparking even in the shadow of the brim of the usual striped hat with obvious anticipation like a child about to see Santa Claus.

"We are going to give Hitsugaya Toshiro a surprise birthday party."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Kira, it's me! Can I come in?"

Matsumoto grinned like a Cheshire-cat at the scuffles from inside -she actually waited rather than bursting in-, before the door slid open to reveal a flustered Kira and rather awkwardly smiling Ichimaru who seemed to be…

"Ichimaru taichou, are you blushing?"

The sneaky third division captain simply shrugged.

"Maybe."

Matsumoto blinked before she started giggling and stepped into the office, closing the door behind her. She placed her hands on her curvaceous hips and clucked her tongue at the top-seated officers of the third division all-knowingly, unable to erase out the laugh completely at how the two men looked like kids that got caught red-handed in the middle of grabbing some cookies from a hidden jar.

"Kira, Gin, I hope you weren't doing anything naughty in the office even if I think office-sex is hot!"

"Ma… Matsumoto-san!"

The vibrant vice-captain burst into another laughter when Kira's pale face turned into beetroot red, reminding her of her own captain when she had asked about Ichigo, or rather, strawberries. Ichimaru's garnet eyes darted between his vice-captain/lover and his childhood friend and when the strawberry-blond woman smiled at him warmly, he scratched the back of his silver head with a sheepish smile.

Contrary to popular belief, Matsumoto and Ichimaru were simply childhood friends, a Rukongai family, not too unlike Hitsugaya and Hinamori. To Rangiku, no one could replace Gin who had saved her from a certain death but they had seen far too many things from each other to harbour any romantic feelings.

It was some time before she found out but when she first realised Kira's crush on her childhood friend, she had been worried about the blond shinigami. Gin had just become a captain and had started to distance himself from everyone else -now they knew it was because Aizen's plan started to get into full swing, hence his task as a spy- and the 'little rich boy', as a certain rowdy redhead had once called him, seemed too innocent and soft, too easy to break.

Therefore she was only too surprised when Kira recovered from Ichimaru's betrayal and started training himself with fervent resolution. At one time in one of many drinking nights they had shared, she had asked Kira if he still felt the same way for his ex-captain and the soft-spoken and rather drunk blond had simply smiled. The reply had come after a few minutes of silence and Matsumoto still remembered the conversation they had.

_'__I can__'__t stop it, Matsumoto-san. You can__'__t just erase your feelings like that. I know I shouldn__'__t but I can__'__t stop. That__'__s why I__'__m training; I__'__m going to have to be alive to see __him again during__ the War.__'_

_'__What are you going to do when you see him?__'_

_'__What about you, Matsumoto-san?__'_

_It took only a few seconds before the frowning woman came up with an answer, looking very smug although the pale grey eyes betrayed the sadness._

_'…__I__'__ll give him the best punch ever__ right in his face.__'_

_The timid face morphed into a smile, __a mix__ of amusement and bitterness, as __Kira__ let out __an __empty laugh. Matsumoto laughed as well before she looked at the blond acting-captain expectantly and __Kira__ answered in a matter-of-fact tone. _

_'__Well, I__'__m just going to tell him how I feel.__'_

_'__That__'__s it?__'_

_'__Yes, that__'__s it.__'_

_'__No __'__I__'__ll kill you for betraying me__'__?'_

_Kira__ chuckled softly at the somewhat incredulous tone in his drinking buddy__'__s question._

_'__No. I know I can__'__t__ even if I wanted to. I can__'__t kill him even if he asked me to__. Can you?__'_

_A pair of trembling silvery eyes met the calm blue ones and it was a while before the strawberry blond hair shook in the air._

_'…__No. No, I can__'__t.__'_

Both of them had continued to drink in silence after that but Matsumoto remembered the helplessness and the desperation they had shared at that time. There had been times that she dreaded the war not because it would be difficult or it would be the end either for her or for her childhood friend; yes, those worried her but the way Kira had spoken that night had given her an uneasy feeling that whoever won the war did not matter to the blond vice-captain and that it would be the end for him either way. Gin turning out to be a spy in the end was indeed a miracle that she could not believe sometimes even now.

And that was also why her heart really went out for her captain when she found out how Hinamori Momo had died. She had thought about it before the War; she wanted to see Gin and hear the answers to her questions in his voice but however many times she tried to picture it, Matsumoto knew she would not be able to land the final blow on him no matter how betrayed she felt.

Especially for those from Rukongai, the family that took them in was everything they had; the family was what you made of it. Killing one of your families was beyond unthinkable, let alone the only other member, and everyone who knew Hitsugaya and Hinamori were well aware of their closeness. For her captain to carry out such a difficult decision, it must have been hellish but she admired how the young prodigy bounced back from the nightmarish ordeal and she thanked the fate that had led her captain to the substitute shinigami before the tragedy, for she was sure that Ichigo had played a big role in the process.

And now, the War was over and she had her cute little captain back, snarling at her for paperwork, and she had her dear family back as well, grinning at her right now, as if he hadn't spent the past few years on a knife-edge as a spy.

Upon his return and his status as a spy dropped, Matsumoto and Kira noticed many changes in the fox-faced shinigami although they were unnoticeable to others who didn't know him so well. Ichimaru's interaction with others became more genuine and his 24/7 smile now carried something other than fatal mysteriousness. On the other hand, his sneaky character didn't change; that was what he naturally was.

However the biggest change in the silver-haired man by far was accepting and returning Kira's long affection for him; and surprisingly, much to Matsumoto's fun, Ichimaru had turned out rather shy and platonic at the beginning. The only thing the infamous ex-spy wanted from his faithful vice-captain was just a few reassuring touches here and there, a soft, gentle hold on the thin hands; all Kira had to do to make Ichimaru's day was to let the cautious grasp stay -he always returned it though, his hold just as coy as the other one's- and the man would beam like a child that had just been visited by Ukitake with his large stocking filled with candies.

The two shinigamis closest to him understood though; having lived as a spy in such a dangerous situation for so long, Ichimaru craved for that mental stability and the psychological comfort. Nevertheless, asking about development in physical interaction between the two and watching their reactions had been one of the best entertainments for Matsumoto.

Until Ichimaru started to feel completely at home and venture out. Then the fun part was watching the pale vice-captain colour furiously every time the silver-haired man got his hands on him in public.

The newly developed relationship between the two highest seated officers of the third division wasn't really a secret due to Ichimaru's habitual touches. They were nothing mature, just a tender hold and a soft hug, so Kira could never be hard enough on his captain in telling him off for his 'inappropriate behaviours in front of subordinates'; imagine the blonde's surprise when none other than Matsumoto came up with the phrase, although it was plastered with giddy giggles.

Even after the news spread, nobody dared to say anything, at least not to their faces. After all, both Ichimaru and Kira were doing a great job with their duties and as long as the relationship did not interfere with the responsibilities of their ranks, personal lives were not a concern to Gotei 13, at least not to Yamamoto, and that really settled the matter.

"How's it going?"

The burgundy-eyed shinigami just shrugged again but Kira's face turned into worry as he caught on the real reason behind asking the seemingly casual daily greeting.

"They've been growing restless a bit since the murder, taichou has told them not to worry but…"

"Gin, do you know anything about the murder?"

The ex-spy shook his head, the devious smile wavering a little.

"I know only as much as Hitsugaya taichou."

Matsumoto decided to press a bit further; sneaking around secretly was Ichimaru's speciality and was what had gotten him into spying in the first place.

"You must have something on it, though."

"I really don't. Soi Fon taichou is keepin' everyone's lips tightly sealed."

Matsumoto snickered.

"So you have tried."

Ichimaru winked although it was a little difficult to tell with his narrow eyes.

"I ain't Ichimaru Gin fer nothin'."

"Taichou…"

"No worries, Izuru. Ya won't report me, will ya, Rangiku?"

"I won't if you let me see you two kiss."

"Matsumoto-san!"

Matsumoto and Ichimaru both laughed as the white cheeks flared up in crimson red that would put Renji's hair in shame, before Kira got pulled into the ex-spy's arms, still spluttering. Blushing even more, if possible, the blonde squirmed to get out until he gave up, the buxom woman smirking and giggling all the while. She ended up laughing out loud when Ichimaru rubbed his cheek on Kira's back, literally _purring_; her 'brother' was one very content man. The happy sound had the shy vice-captain finally settling down on Ichimaru's lap and once her giggling ceased, Matsumoto finally brought up the real reason she had come to see the two lovebirds.

"Gin, I've got a favour to ask you."

Ichimaru peeped from behind Kira, the deep red eyes that were for once visible looking at his bubbly sister with a sense of question.

"What is it?"

"On 20th, it's our division on night-duty but I need to go to the real world with Hitsugaya taichou that night. Do you mind taking over? I'll have our third seat taking care of everything, so you don't need to come in. I'll cover for a night when it's your turn."

"20th? This week, right?"

Matsumoto nodded and put her hands together, throwing in a sweet wink; when a division was on night-duty, at least either one of the captain or vice-captain had to be available for the subordinates to report to, should an emergency situation rise. Since Matsumoto was not planning to miss out the first ever proper birthday party for the frosty prodigy -not to mention with his L-O-V-E-R-, she had needed someone else to be on hand.

"Yeah, please??"

The third division captain shrugged nonchalantly; he had been worried for a second that his friend was going to ask something rather unrealistic. After all, she was a woman quite capable of anything with the exception of even starting on her paperwork, let alone finish them.

"Sure, why not."

"Ah, thanks, Gin! I'd love to give you a hug but seeing that you are already hugging Kira, I'll just leave and make sure no one comes to bother you two for the next hour. Oh, and don't tell my taichou about it, yeah?"

Matsumoto tossed her hair and waved, ignoring the spluttering and blushing from Kira and quiet chuckles from Ichimaru. Looking gleeful -and quite frankly, a bit scary-, Matsumoto rubbed her hands; with that taken care of, she would now only have to put her best acting on the day to get her captain out of Soul Society.

She wouldn't have to worry about Hitsugaya realising what day it was; she doubted if he was even aware of the existence of the calendar on his desk. Satisfied with herself, she put a 'No Visitors Allowed' sign that she had once stolen from the fourth division on the third division office door. Giggling at the sign, she turned around and made her way to her own division; her captain was sure to be waiting for her with his usual irritated scowl, unaware of the little surprise that was waiting for him.

As for the presents, she knew just exactly who to go to for help.


	6. Hell hath no fury

**Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos [#05/?]**  
**Chapter rating**: PG  
**Chapter specific warning**: Fluff alert  
**Chapter specific spoiler**: None

**Chapter summary**: A surprise is not always well-received.

**Author's Note**:

1. Tachibana is another OC who may never come up again -I don't know- and he is given the honour of being the third seat of the brilliant tenth division!

2. As far as I know, the limiters are 'stamped' on a part of body -so far, they've all been on chests-. It has never been explained how or where they get the seals placed on them so I've decided that each division keeps their own 'stamps'.

3. We have many Japanese in this chapter so here's a short Japanese lesson.

**Yoj****i****-jukugo** are idiomatic expressions made up of four kanji characters. **Chototsu-moushin** is one of them and it means 'to rush recklessly to one's goal without thinking (like a wild boar runs)'.

**Mikan** is what is known as satsumas/tangerines; those that you see the Japanese people eat while staying under the kotatsu (a personal fact but I love mikans though I'm not too fond of oranges).

**Inoshishi** is a boar and ever since I remembered Fruits Basket again, Kagura had been running around in my head with a very mild connection to Ichigo. After all, our strawberry is famous for his head-on tactics. I'll say this now that what I've given Ichigo was simply to take piss out of him, not in the same nice way as I had intended with yuki hime in _Empathy_.

4. **SPOILER** for Bounto Arc: Ririn, Cloud and Nova join us briefly with Kon although the specific names do not come up. For those who do not watch anime, they are three mod souls Urahara made in Bounto Arc to support the strawberry team in hunting down Bountos. They -especially Ririn- always beat up Kon who is their mod soul senpai (AN: senior).

PS I apologise for late updates and thanks for your reviews. I have sidetracked a bit since the last chapter and wrote two oneshots (_Sometimes/Heartaches_) but now I'm focusing back on _Orderly Madness_!

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**:::::Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos by ****Kanon ****Ch.5::::: _Hell hath no fury  
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What had been a single source of light in the room had been put out __a __long time ago and t__he room was in total blackout__ as if a black hole had appeared and sucked out every single __existence__. A f__ragile rice-paper window rattled in the wind but __neither__ of the occupants seemed to have heard it nor paid any attention__ to it_

_"__It__'__s a shame it __has to __come to an end. It really is.__"_

_A figure moved in the darkness but only silence greeted his words. __It was after some rustling sound __as the first one continued to move __that the other __replied, the __quiet__ voice torn, sad, void of life, and most of all, broken with no hope. _

_"…__I__…__ hate you__…"_

_A soft chuckle followed it._

_"__Yes__, I know.__"_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hitsugaya sighed. There were times the prodigy wondered if he should just give up on his effort to see the end of the stacks of papers and right now was one of those moments. In the morning, he had watched over the division going through their training, but since then, he had been stuck in the office, working through the incessant influx of papers, and now it was nearly dinner time. Hitsugaya closed his eyes and rubbed both temples before succumbing to the reality that these papers were not going to simply disappear.

As usual, his -useless- vice-captain laid plastered on the couch, sleeping like a baby, oblivious to the piles of papers that were threatening to fall on her -- naturally, of course, not because Hitsugaya would give a little poke.

Glacial air filled the room as ferocious wintery winds whirled around in the office, the coldness relieving the irritated captain from the worsening headache. The tenth division administration office was the only place in the whole of Seireitei that had its windows opened all year round and Matsumoto had learnt in their earlier years to bring in a comforter when the discoloured leaves started to fall. Hitsugaya eyed the aforementioned blanket draped over her, which was the same shade of pink as her scarf, wondering if he could be cruel enough to yank it off her and throw it out.

That wouldn't make her do paperwork, he thought to himself, it would just make her whine for hours and hours. Another inaudible sigh and the frosty captain was back on his work, the teal orbs still sparkling despite the hours of reading they had gone through but they soon shifted their gaze when Matsumoto finally stirred from the couch. The strawberry-blond hair showed up above the back of the couch and Hitsugaya brought her attention to him with his usual greeting, the low voice staying impassive despite the frustration and the wariness he felt inside.

"Are you awake now, Matsumoto?"

"Taichou? What are you doing in my room?"

An angry mark marred the perfectly white tuft and Hitsugaya swore she always did that on purpose.

"Bakayaro, how many times do I have to tell you that the administration office is not your room? Now that you are up, get some papers done!"

The jolly woman flashed him a wide grin and flopped back down on the couch, making Hitsugaya groan out of irritated exasperation.

"But taichou, it's so warm and nice under my blanket…"

"Matsumoto, get up or I'm going to snatch your precious comforter away."

"That's inconsiderate, taichou, I never complain about the permanently opened windows!"

"It's not like you are in the office mu…? A hell butterfly?"

True to his surprised words, a midnight hell butterfly had fluttered into the office at that moment through the opened window which had just become the topic of bantering between the captain and the vice-captain. Hitsugaya frowned; it was nearly the end of the day, unusual time for anyone to send a hell butterfly, let alone to a captain.

Unless there was an emergency.

Hitsugaya kept his cerulean eyes on the fragile insect as it landed on Matsumoto's finger; he suddenly found himself getting overwhelmed by ominous uneasiness for no apparent reason. With no further news on the serial murder case, the feeling had in fact left his preoccupied mind but it abruptly turned into a tsunami from the almost non-existent disturbance it had once been. The snow-topped prodigy remained unaware of his deepening scowl -from the expression alone, he could have just heard that Aizen had been resurrected- as he listened to Matsumoto relaying the unexpected message.

"Hitsugaya taichou, this is Urahara Kisuke, we have an urgent situation here. Kurosaki-san has been attacked as well as his friends. I'm on my way to Inoue-san but we will need some reinforcement, these enemies are strong. Please, come to Kurosaki-san's aid as soon as possible… Taichou!"

The sea-green eyes had been steadily widening during the message and the young master of Hyourinmaru was on his feet even before Matsumoto reached the last line. Hitsugaya had already fished out a key from his shihakshou and tossed it to the vice-captain, his other hand grabbing the pristine haori that was draped on the back of his chair.

"Get the seals for the limiters."

"Hai."

Matsumoto was rather awed at how the young prodigy stayed cool and remembered all the proper procedures, only the slightly crumpled haori betraying Hitsugaya's true feelings; perhaps that was what she should have expected from the aloof, composed captain but it would have been much more of a sight if he had simply dashed out of the office. However, the jolly natural parnkster managed to keep her serious facade, her short-lived disappointment and an evil grin truly well hidden, as she quickly got her own key out and opened the safe with the set.

In a second, the agitated captain was on his way to Senkaimon with his faithful Hyourinmaru on his back, when he suddenly remembered that his division was on night-duty. Hitsugaya stopped in his tracks and looked back to the tenth division building which was already quite far away due to his hasty shunpo. The sun had started to set a moment ago, colouring the blue sky in scarlet red, making it hard to distinguish from the terracotta-coloured rooftops. The anxious prodigy gnawed his lips without knowing, arguing with his inner voice, when Matsumoto who had been following him, brought him out of his reverie. The pale grey eyes looked at him with mixed curiosity and worries.

"Taichou, why are you stopping?"

Hitsugaya didn't say anything but shifted his gaze from the direction of his division to Matsumoto. She glanced behind her at where her captain had just been looking at and turned to face him with a look of understanding.

"Taichou, if it's about night-duty, I'm sure Tachibana can handle it. Something must've happened if Urahara-san had to send a hell butterfly."

"Matsumoto, you stay here and alert sotaichou if you don't hear from me in ten minutes."

The buxom woman panicked for a moment; a big 'OOPS' would be damn appropriate right now.

"I'll send hell butterflies to Ichimaru taichou but I'm not going to sit here and wait around, taichou!!"

Hitsugaya looked at his vice-captain with a frustrated scowl before he turned around without another word and continued his way to Senkaimon; he didn't have time to waste on arguing with her when she was clearly set on coming with him. The prodigy captain cursed under his breath; perhaps these murders were not just some psychotic killer's work. Was this going to be a prelude to a rise of another enemy for Soul Society?

Matsumoto was just a few steps behind her captain, a cheeky grin adorning her face at the white haori flapping in the wind as Hitsugaya put even more speed in his shunpo. How he could move so fast when he was nothing more than 4'4" was beyond her; he was always faster than her and then some more if he needed to be -like now-.

Of course, she hadn't sent a single hell butterfly but Hitsugaya was too busy to notice it. Matsumoto giggled inwardly; that had been close but still, easier than what it could have been, thanks to Urahara's contribution. She felt a little guilty at how anxious the usually composed prodigy was -he was just scowling but it was one of those BAD scowls, if you catch my drift- but then the more worried he got, the bigger the surprise would be for him. The vice-captain, full of anticipation, stifled her laughs, thinking that she might have a few streaks of sadism somewhere in her and followed her captain through Senkaimon, making sure her face remained solemn.

When Hitsugaya stepped out of the Gate in the basement of Urahara's store, he had to frown at how dark and quiet the place was. He couldn't feel Urahara's reiatsu in the shop and he assumed the ex-12th division captain had gone to Inoue Orihime's assist; the girl, for what her healing skill was worth, wasn't much of a fighter. Then Hitsugaya realised his spiritual sense was not picking up something he should and tensed. It seemed that Matsumoto had also realised the same thing.

"Taichou, I… I can't feel Ichigo's reiatsu."

The tenth division captain did not say anything save a low growl that escaped his lips and he sped off towards Ichigo's flat with Matsumoto closely behind him. Two small hands were clenched in tight fists and the bottom lip was bitten and chewed the whole journey. Hitsugaya's heart was thumping loudly in his chest, the frantic beating echoing in his ear, as he got closer to his lover's flat while the teen's reiatsu that usually overloaded the entire village remained undetected.

The two shinigamis soon found themselves in front of the door of the orange-haired teen's flat and they took a quick look around before Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow in confusion. All the lights were off and no sound came from the dark flat, and most of all, there was no sign of any battles for sure and the area remained clean of any reiatsu.

Hitsugaya's perpetual frown grew deeper. Could it be possible that Kurosaki had been taken to somewhere else after a surprise attack? It wasn't unfeasible; the last time they had been abducted to Hueco Mundo, both of them had been taken by genuine surprise even when they had planned for it to happen.

Matsumoto glanced at her small captain who stood there as if frozen to the spot, glaring at the closed door. Something that she failed to recognise flitted across his frowning feature before it disappeared all too quickly but whatever it was didn't matter to her at the moment. She was having a really hard time stopping a mad grin spreading across her face so she nudged Hitsugaya to open the door before she would give in to the urge to scream 'SURPRISE!'.

"Taichou…"

Hitsugaya gritted his teeth, masking the nauseous feeling -and his heart was pumping way too fast for his own good- with the well-practiced scowl, and grabbed the knob. Surprised to find it turning with no resistance from the lock, he signalled to Matsumoto to be on a ready stance, himself grabbing Hyourinmaru's hilt, before he flung open the door.

Inside, the flat was completely dark and the alert captain couldn't see anything. However his face soon turned from hidden worry to obvious perplexity when he heard quiet chuckles sounding oddly familiar. Hitsugaya had taken a few cautious steps into the flat when his sense started to pick up some very faintly leaking reiatsus, all of them quite recognizable, and muttered in complete puzzlement.

"What's going…"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HITSUGAYA TOSHIRO!!!"

All of a sudden, the lights came back on, blinding the stunned captain, and loud bangs of party poppers filled the air, thin and long streamers raining down on the teal-eyed shinigami along with what he could only speculate to be some sort of artificial snow. Hitsugaya stood with wide eyes, dumbstruck, as the white foam started to build up on his hair and shoulders, the fluttering papers getting mingled and wet in the chemical snow.

The living room had even more decorations than last year although he recognised the white Xmas tree in the corner. A cake sat on the table where everyone was standing around, grinning at him with empty poppers and snow spray cans in their hands; Urahara Kisuke, Shihouin Yoruichi, Ishida Uryuu, Inoue Orihime, Sado Yastora, three stuffed toys which seemed to be beating another stuffed toy, Matsumoto Rangiku who had somehow joined them at some point and one idiotic carrot-top in the middle, the hazelnut eyes brimming with anticipation.

Ichigo was exchanging a quick glance with Matsumoto, satisfied with the exceptionally bewildered expression on his lover's face, when the cold, guarded eyes flashed dangerously all of a sudden and the captain turned around sharply, vanishing from their view in the blink of an eye. Everyone was surprised with the unexpected reaction and stared with opened mouths at where the birthday boy had been standing just a split second ago, Ichigo more perplexed than anyone else. The orange head snapped around at the buxom vice-captain and Matsumoto offered him an awkward smile.

"Uh… Oops?"

"What was that about?! Shit, I'm going after him. You guys wait here until we come back, okay?!"

Ichigo took the pentagon-shaped badge from his pocket and easily tore away from his body. Toshiro's reiatsu wasn't hard to lock onto even with his non-existent spiritual sense; the frosty reiatsu was disturbingly flailing as if the usually composed captain was failing to rein it in. If it had not been for the limiter, they would have been facing a feast of Menoses, never mind Hollows.

The substitute shinigami cursed when he looked up at the darkened sky; maybe the limiter wouldn't make THAT much difference. The already black sky was getting stormy, dark grey clouds gathering ominously over his head. Was that just a coincidence or could his icy dragon control the weather even when Hyourinmaru was sealed? Not that it mattered; right now, Ichigo had to find his seriously angry boyfriend -what the _hell_, Ichigo cursed-, and very soon at that.

The task was no difficult as the reiatsu remained intense although the flare-up had calmed down a bit. Ichigo found his boyfriend in the park they had visited during the first snow last year, a tightly clenched fist in contact with the rough, dried bark of tree.

"…Toshiro…?"

Hitsugaya did not show any sign of acknowledging the teen's presence and the eyes stayed firmly closed. The prodigy's tense body was visibly shaking and the chest rose and fell much too quickly.

Ichigo started to get worried; this was not how it was supposed to be. He had spent days imagining the surprised look on that sweet face then maybe a smack on his head or so -he never expected Toshiro to glomp him or anything- and then everyone would wish the little guy happy birthday and have fun, but oh how wrong he was. The teen took another careful step towards his lover when Hitsugaya spun around and grunted out fuming words between his gritted teeth, almost hissing, and Ichigo suck in a sharp breath when he saw the small face livid with furious wrath.

"How dare you… How dare you… How dare you pull something like that on me!!!"

Ichigo stopped in his tracks, clearly stunned by the sudden but genuinely angry outburst from the least likely person -correction, shinigami- to do such a thing; Hitsugaya's shouts were not something hard to come across by courtesy of Matsumoto, but they always lacked the real anger behind them. However, right now, the imperceptive substitute shinigami realised that he was facing pure fury from the legendary dragon, something that most likely, no one had seen yet. The collected captain had never lost it like this, not even when they had been facing that lowlife scumbag called Aizen Sousuke who dragged Hinamori Momo into their fight as well.

"Toshiro… I just wanted to…"

The feeble attempt to explain only served to trigger another ebullition.

"Give me a surprise party?!"

"Well…"

"So you thought it would be just fine to make me think you were taken away to god knows where or even dead?!!! You thought it would be just fine to give me a heart attack for a _surprise party_?!!! We are getting bloody twisted murders by god knows who and you thought it would be just fine to make me think something's happened to you?!!! All for a _joke_?!!"

Ichigo stood, frozen in his place as if Toshiro had cast Hyourinmaru's frigid spell on him, and considering the reaction he was getting, the substitute shinigami was not going to be surprised if that was what had really happened even before he knew it. The emerald eyes were literally glowing with anger and flailing reiatsu, the small, lithe body trembling as Hitsugaya tried to calm himself down after the explosion that even he himself had not expected. The dainty hands were tightly clenched and Ichigo could see some specks of blood on the knuckle that had hit the tree.

Then it finally came to him; the shaky gaze of the mesmerising turquoise eyes, filled with swirling emotions, and Ichigo was mentally smacking himself _and_ kicking his own butt -- he really should have known better.

Ichigo was the only one the aloof prodigy had ever let himself to lower his guard fully and open up completely, the sole outsider who was allowed to enter Hitsugaya Toshiro's secluded, private world. The only other person Toshiro had trusted at an almost same level had given him deep, bleeding gashes over and over again and the young shinigami had not yet recovered fully from the emotional injuries that had come with the ultimate betrayal of trust from his sister and most of all, the loss.

Usually, each other's safety was not something of concern for the two powerful shinigamis as both were fully aware of their partner's capability, but when Hitsugaya heard the substitute shinigami, who had once thrashed Gotei 13 almost single-handedly, actually needed help and then could not sense the teen's reiatsu, it must have been dire for the newly-in-love captain, the worst consequences forming in his mind all too easily.

If something had truly happened to Ichigo, Hitsugaya was most likely to stay collected and go for what he deemed to be the best course of action and he would most definitely not allow himself to panic or break down until he had his idiotic strawberry back to him. However it had not been real; it had been a joke, a prank, and to Hitsugaya, that was undermining his cautious trust and timid but genuine love that he had given and that was what snapped him.

Ichigo kicked himself again internally and walked up to Toshiro, feeling relieved when the still seething captain didn't make to move away. In the past months, especially during the stay at his place, the substitute shinigami had learnt something about understanding the famed prodigy; that it was about the words he did not speak, the thoughts he did not elaborate. Whoever came up with the expression of 'Still waters run deep' would have been overjoyed to meet the epitome of the phrase; Hitsugaya Toshiro.

Sometimes it frustrated the imperceptive teen but then in some ways, Ichigo was not totally free of charge on the offence either and perhaps that was why they understood and identified with each other at a surprisingly deep lelvel. Nevertheless, Kurosaki Ichigo was known for his tactlessness for a reason, unlike his counterpart, and there were some occasional slip-ups that, thankfully for Ichigo, always led to some sizzling make-up sessions.

Nonetheless, as he closed the distance between him and the glaring shinigami, Ichigo could not help certain guilty happiness bubbling up somewhere in his heart; of course he knew the depth of their love that they shared and that Toshiro would not start a relationship -with a guy no less- out of whim but it was sometimes hard to tell just how far it went. However right now, Toshiro's furious scowl, the glowing teal orbs and the tightly clenched fists screamed of the real reason behind the anger. If it hadn't been such a situation, Ichigo might have just jumped on his special dragon and poured out his love for him.

Ichigo was now just a step in front of his lover. Cautiously he tried to wrap his arms around Toshiro, then in the blink of an eye, found himself grabbed at the neck, shoved into a tree with enough force to knock air out of his lungs.

"Hmmpf!! Toshiro…!"

It was one of those occasions when Ichigo was blatantly reminded of Hitsugaya Toshiro's rank as a captain; despite their height and size differences, the small captain had pinned him to a tree with ease. The force was so strong that whether Ichigo was caught off-guard or not would not have mattered. The white-topped head was lowered, preventing Ichigo from seeing the boy's face.

The hold was firm but it wasn't hostile and Ichigo had enough room to breathe by. He didn't try to move the small hand at his neck nor did he say anything. A few minutes passed in still silence before the strong but delicate hand slowly lost its death grip and moved to cover the turquoise eyes, a heavy sigh leaving the gnawed lips. Hitsugaya was already feeling rather guilty about his behaviour and the earlier outbursts; after all, albeit not in the best way possible, Kurosaki had only been trying to do something nice for him.

If Hitsugaya was to speak of his true opinion, the notorious rule-breaker had been surprisingly patient and understanding in their relationship, accepting that the young prodigy had to focus on his duties as a captain before his personal life. Apparently, respecting some rules, or at least attempting to do so, was not totally impossible if it was for the sake of his love; it didn't stop Kurosaki from visiting but while around, the substitute shinigami didn't distract him much and in that sense, Kurosaki was actually more helpful than his own vice-captain.

The dutiful captain immensely appreciated it and tried his best not to take advantage of Kurosaki's consideration for him; it wasn't easy right now with so much rebuilding going on but once Soul Society stood on solid ground again, Hitsugaya was even ready to pay a visit to the human realm; whilst it might not be much, it would have been his way of showing his gratitude and his feelings for the substitute shinigami.

Hitsugaya took another deep breath in. It had not been the stupid strawberry's intention to make him worry but a small part of his mind still insisted that Kurosaki should have known how he would feel; he might not express it much but they both knew clearly that the icy master of Hyourinmaru loved him as much as the teen loved him.

Then he felt the taller one moving in front of him as Kurosaki was now freed from the vice-like hold and a callused hand covered his, gently tugging it down, asking it to reveal the hidden sea-green jewels.

"…!!!"

Hitsugaya's emerald eyes widened at what he saw when he lowered his hand; Kurosaki was on his knees in front of him, his face at eyelevel with his own. The soft chocolate eyes smiled at him apologetically and the other hand came up to stroke the porcelain cheek.

"I'm really sorry, Toshiro. I didn't mean to scare you like that. I just wanted to give a nice birthday with others that you could remember and be happy, since your most memorable one was… Well, you know, Aizen and what not. They all know about us so there would be nothing to hide and…"

Ichigo stopped, looking sheepish. What else could he say? He hadn't expected Toshiro to react so explosively but he understood the extreme magnitude of his little dragon's response. He had been too excited with the idea of celebrating his boyfriend's birthday without having to hide their relationship to think much of anything else.

A deep sigh got his attention back to the white-haired captain in front of him. The teal orbs had now lost the piercing, cerulean hue and the body had stopped its shivering. A dainty hand came up and rested on top of Ichigo's on the cheek and the irritated -but calmed- prodigy snarled in a low voice, the profound scowl adorning his face.

"You do this ever again and I will personally see the end of you."

Ichigo chuckled then instantly regretted it when the emerald eyes blazed again. The captain's voice was dangerously low and frigid chill emanated from every word.

"You think I'm joking?"

"No. No, I won't ever do it again, Toshiro."

With that, Ichigo leaned in carefully, brushing his lips against the abused ones lightly at first as a test. When his icy dragon didn't make any move to stop him -even better, smack him-, he pressed against the petals with a little more pressure. Two strong arms came around the lean torso, large hands gently cupping the soft cheeks. It took some time and effort to get the annoyed captain to open up but in the end, Ichigo succeeded and was allowed the cool taste of Hitsugaya Toshiro. When they parted, Hitsugaya nestled his snow-topped head on the substitute shinigami's shoulder though his voice remained in an irritated growl.

"Bakayaro."

"Yeah, well, we both know I'm the biggest idiot, so forgive me?"

"Shut up."

"I love you, too."

Ichigo smiled. Toshiro's 'shut up' had many different meanings and the one just now meant 'apology accepted'. He rubbed the small of Toshiro's back, tracing its curve, as they stayed quiet in the deserted park. The young prodigy's voice was still rather irritated but the next time his lover spoke, Ichigo caught the faint amusement in it and allowed himself a little tug upwards at his lips; he was now positive that he would not be on the receiving end of the unleashed Hyourinmaru.

"You know the saying of 'chototsu-mushin'?"

The chocolate eyes rolled but the teen simply continued to circle the straight back without saying anything. Ichigo had known that yoji-jukugo for some time; in fact, it was Ishida's favourite ammunition against him and what was worse was that the teen rarely had anything to say back since most of the time, it was a perfect description of the situation they found themselves in. Hitsugaya took the silence as a positive answer and continued on, a smirk replacing the grave scowl.

"For that abhorrent nickname you keep calling me with, I'll give you something too."

Damn, Ichigo thought; it was not going to be nice if that smirking tone in the cynical captain's voice was not a hint.

"Mikan inoshishi."

The reaction was instant; the teen piped up even before the phrase had left Hitsugaya's lips. Imagine, a wild boar running in a straight line, its swishing hair in bright, vibrant orange.

"Oi! Don't call me a boar!"

Despite the retort, the muscular arms stayed around him and Hitsugaya snickered. It was not a 'nice' nickname like yuki hime -not that he thought it was nice- but then it was not supposed to be, either.

"You _are_ one. I've always thought that from the beginning; the only one that I can think of to be on the par with you on recklessness is Zaraki Kenpachi and I doubt that man even knows the word, let alone understanding the meaning of it."

The substitute shinigami growled. Perhaps he should not have pushed too far with the sarcastic prodigy but then he did not… oh right, the whole not-thinking-before-action stuff again.

"Fine, fine, I admit I don't think much beforehand but don't call me a boar, it reminds me of Ganjuu."

"I don't know who that is but doubly better then, since you seem to dislike it all the more. Do you want me to call you a strawberry boar instead of a mikan, then?"

Finally, Ichigo let go of the smirking boy and threw his hands up in the air in defeat. Knowing Toshiro, it was unlikely that the aloof captain would call him in any so-called pet names -did that even qualify as one?- but either way, he did not need another pun of his name.

"Whatever floats your boat, yuki hime."

The substitute shinigami snickered and kissed the pout lips chastely when his annoyed dragon harrumphed and shot him -millions of- daggers. He stretched out his hand towards the young prodigy and nudged his head towards the direction of his flat.

"…Shall we go back?"

Hitsugaya looked at the hand, then at the grinning Kurosaki that he still felt like punching the face to some extent. Another angry glare earned him a rueful smile from the orange-haired teen -inoshishi- along with a peck on his cheek and the captain took off towards the flat, ignoring the outstretched hand. The substitute shinigami simply rolled his eyes but happily smiled as he followed his lover.

With the mission accomplished, it was now time to start the party.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Back in the flat, the rest of the group were sitting around the table with various looks on their faces, mostly of surprise and concern. Even the mod souls had quietened down as they waited for the two lovers to return. Inoue squeaked shyly as she glanced at the door for the umpteenth time.

"Do you think we have overdone it? Toshiro-kun seemed really angry... Maybe we should go and see him…"

Ishida held her down when she moved to get up and shook his head; it was in the caring girl's nature to worry and try to do whatever she could, but Kurosaki had done the right thing to chase after the captain straight away and he was sure they would be back soon. Urahara was faking an innocently surprised look although the smirk on his face mirrored the legendary ex-Commander of Onmitsukidou, who was for once in her human form and with her clothes on; after all, a cat's paws weren't developed to pull the strings of the party poppers.

"But I'm quite surprised at how he reacted."

"Ah, my taichou has really fallen for Ichigo completely!"

Matsumoto's dramatic announcement was met with Kon's snicker.

"Yeah, well, Ichigo's totally whipped so I don't think there's any problem there."

"And who says you can go around telling everyone that I'm whipped?"

Everyone turned around at the irritated voice that newly joined the conversation, making the stuffed lion pale. Sure enough, there stood Kurosaki Ichigo with angry marks and a murderous grin and just behind him, Hitsugaya Toshiro, who had regained his usual collected coolness again. Inoue hastily stood up and greeted the two.

"Welcome back! Toshiro-kun, I'm so sorry, I'm really sorry, we just…"

Hitsugaya couldn't bring himself to spit out the usual correction when the girl was giving him a kicked-puppy look and he just shook his head.

"No, it's okay. I apologise for my earlier behaviour, I shouldn't have left like that."

The reply was quiet and a little mumbled, but clear enough for everyone to hear. Inoue beamed at him and proceeded to pull him inside while Ichigo finally caught the stuffed lion and stomped on him in a very different -and definitely more violent- way to Rukia. Hitsugaya was placed right in front of the cake and Ichigo soon came over with a thoroughly trampled lion toy, sitting down next to his boyfriend. Everyone else took their places while Ichigo lighted the candles on what was an abnormally pink cake. Hitsugaya groaned, looking at the burning candles with great dislike.

"…You are making me blow the candles again?"

"Told you, follow the humans' rules when you are in the human world."

"I am never going to come to the real world on my birthday from now on."

"Yeah, well, that's like another whole year away at the earliest. For now, you are going to have to blow the candles."

Hitsugaya glared at the carrot-top next to him but as the idiot said, he was going to have to blow the candles. With a great scowl, his lips formed a small 'o' as he sent a rush of air across the small fires and soon the melted candles were being taken out while Matsumoto smothered the disgruntled captain in her fatal bosom, squealing at how cute the prodigy was, much to the captain's indignation.

"Matsumoto, gerroff me!!!"

"Yeah, Rangiku-san, or I might start to get jealous."

Everyone turned to look at smirking Ichigo with surprise then Matsumoto burst out laughing as she let go of her captain, who was blushing in interesting shades of red at Ichigo's openly affectionate words rather than where his face had just been buried to; he had been there too many times to be affected in that way. Yoruichi, who was sitting between Ichigo and Urahara, poked the chocolate-eyed teen's side as she smiled at him slyly.

"I didn't take you to be a possessive type. Overprotective boyfriend, is it? Hah?"

A faint tinge of pink appeared on Ichigo but he just huffed and slung his arm around the smaller boy, scooting away from the catwoman.

"I can't help it, can I? And he really was getting suffocated, mind you."

"Kurosaki…"

Another round of laughter broke out at Hitsugaya's low growl and Matsumoto winked at Ichigo.

"You've got your work cut out, Ichigo."

Hitsugaya elbowed Kurosaki's belly when the substitute shinigami nodded with a grin; 'mmpf!' was followed by a smirk from the tenth division captain then Yoruichi started putting out all the alcohol they had brought over while Inoue cut the cake. Ishida passed the plates around, the first piece obviously going to the birthday boy. The stoic prodigy eyed the cake with well-hidden suspicion and curiosity -better not offend whoever prepared the cake, he had better manners than that- before taking a bite. Hitsugaya snorted at the sweet flavour dispersing in his mouth; no wonder the cake was pink, it was covered in strawberry cream. And it seemed the namesake didn't know about it as the carrot-top cringed at the taste.

"You freaking four-eyed sewing machine, you got the cake, didn't you?!"

Ishida just smirked and pushed his glasses up, ignoring Kurosaki's glares as he ate his portion of the cake. Hitsugaya didn't mind, really; he wasn't fond of sweets but this strawberry cream cake was fluffy and smooth on his tongue and melted easily like cotton candy. While the birthday boy stayed quiet, it was Matsumoto who clucked her tongue at Ichigo, wriggling a figure in front of the hazelnut eyes.

"Ichigo, don't forget this is taichou's birthday party. Taichou seems to be happy enough with it, so you should pipe down."

When the sceptical brown eyes turned to him, Hitsugaya stared at Kurosaki for a second before he snickered -actually, it was just a barely-there curl at a corner of his lips but he knew Kurosaki would see it- and took another particularly big bite of cake into his mouth, running his tongue along the lips to lick off the pink cream that got smudged on the tender flesh in the process.

Hitsugaya did it so casually and naturally that to anyone else, it would have looked like he made an innocent mistake in measuring the size but just as he had expected, Kurosaki visibly flinched at the 'performance' and the observant captain was sure there had been a flicker of lust in those chocolate eyes before the substitute shinigami turned around and continued to devour his piece, grumbling. The white-haired prodigy stifled his chuckles with another bite of the cake and calmed his twitching lips, which he almost failed to do when he heard an irritated growl from the carrot-top next to him.

It didn't take long for the group to finish the cake but the adults were already half-drunk, various alcohols of the human realm having made their appearances, and now they were being offered to the teens as well by dopey-eyed -and persistent- Matsumoto and Yoruichi. Hitsugaya refused flat-out to join their drinking rampage until Kurosaki, who had fallen victim to Matsumoto's incessant persuasion, nudged him with a glass filled with clear liquid.

"What?"

"C'mon, Toshiro. Look, even Chad's drinking."

True to the words, the big, burly teen had a beer can opened in his hand although whether he was really drinking or not remained a mystery to Hitsugaya. The emerald eyes turned to the side again when he felt another poke from the grinning substitute shinigami. The captain sighed in a half-amused way, a faint smirk tugging his lips upwards.

"Kurosaki, don't tell me you are drunk."

Ichigo grinned impishly, unfazed by the wry look on his lover's face.

"I'm not, but I am a bit high. Take it or I'm going to kiss you right here with sake in my mouth."

The mesmerising turquoise eyes widened and Hitsugaya pulled back a bit from one rather devilish-looking substitute shinigami.

"You wouldn't."

"Oh, I would."

The sparkles in the chocolate eyes told him Kurosaki was serious if the steadily decreasing distance between them hadn't told him that already and Hitsugaya was very glad that the others -specifically, Matsumoto and Shihouin- were too busy to have heard them. Everyone save Kurosaki and himself were all watching Inoue Orihime who had obviously gotten drunk completely and was now performing some very bizarre, comical dance and best of all, dragging Ishida into it as well. Hitsugaya looked at the glass for a second before he took it and Ichigo gently clang it with his own, accompanied by a soft whisper.

"Happy birthday, Toshiro."

Matsumoto had been laughing so hard at Orihime's drunken antic and Ishida's spluttering that her vision was getting blurry with tears. She was taking her eyes off the trashed girl momentarily to grab another bottle of what Urahara had said was vodka -it was some good stuff in her opinion- when she caught Ichigo whispering something into her captain's ear, the quiet words drowned by roars of laughter. She was rather surprised but more than happy when she saw Hitsugaya's face turning into a small but genuine smile, the teal eyes losing the sharp edge in them even if only briefly.

The jovial woman smiled softly, her unfocused silvery eyes filled with warmth. She loved -not in Ichigo's way- the small captain as much as she ran away from paperwork and it was good to see two of her favourite people happy together. Matsumoto was about to turn her attention back to Orihime to give them their privacy when her pale eyes caught Yoruichi's golden ones, who seemed to have seen it as women giggled at each other.

They would have to wrap up the party soon and leave.


	7. Afterwaves

**Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos [#06/?]**  
**Chapter rating**: NC-17 for lemon  
**Chapter specific warning**: LEMON  
**Chapter specific spoiler**: None

**Chapter summary**: The party is over... says who?

**Author's Notes:**

We have a really late break for winter holidays in this fiction. I'm not too sure of Japan but in my home country, the middle schools and the high schools have very late start of holidays, starting just before Xmas. All Asian countries tend to have a similar education system with overenthusiastic adults abusing the drained students so I'm just applying our system to the fiction.

…I confess that I have sidetracked yet again to a complete smut fiction called _Indecent__ encounter_. I really should stop this… /sigh/.

Anyway, have you guys read the new Bleach omake? God, I got stuck on the page where Hitsugaya was smiling. I mean, DAMN. The thing is I didn't know about Hitsugaya and Hinamori living with a granny when I wrote Empathy. Oops. /sweat drop/ **Well, since this story is a continuation from **_**Empathy****, I****'****m sticking to what I****'****ve given as background to ****Hitsugaya**** in **__**Empathy****, so an apology for the incorrect information.**_

Anyhow, I was little worried about Ch5 but many seemed to have enjoyed it so I'm glad. Thanks for all your reviews and adding this story to fav/alert list and everything.

* * *

**  
:::::Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos by ****Kanon**** Ch.6::::: _Afterwaves_  


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**"Eh… You guys sure you'll be okay?"

Ichigo and Hitsugaya eyed the rest of the group with uncertainty as they clung to each other to keep their balance. Inoue was now asleep on Ishida's back, Matsumoto leaning on Sado for support, while Yoruichi and Urahara was just a mingled clump. All of the stuffed toys had passed out a long time ago from alcohol due to their 'body' sizes and were tucked away in Inoue's cross-bag except Kon, whose pill had been taken out of the toy when he insisted on drinking more despite his obviously wasted state. Matsumoto gave a plastered smile as she swatted her hand, her words slurred but surprisingly clear compared the sheer amount of alcohol she had consumed.

"Of course!!! We'll just drop Orihime at her place then grab some more alcohol at Urahara-san's shop."

Ichigo spluttered, looking at the busty vice-captain incredulously.

"What, you are going to drink again?!"

"The night is young, Ichigo!!! Well, we are going now… See you tomorrow, taichou! Now, remember, taichou, you do have to come back to Urahara shoten on time tomorrow or I'm barging in here."

Hitsugaya huffed with a glare at his plastered vice-captain; who was telling what to whom?

"Matsumoto, you are the one who will have a problem getting up in time."

The tipsy woman giggled like mad and Sado had to quickly hold her up before she slipped off and fell face first on the ground. Ichigo looked at his friend with a sorry look; Sado had never been good with physical contact, especially with the opposite sex, and right now, the big teen seemed to be in a dilemma as he tried to find some place to put his hand on to support the curvaceous woman without embarrassing anyone in the process.

"Oh, I don't think so, taichou. After all, Ichigo is a healthy, hormonal teenager and…"

Ichigo and Hitsugaya both blushed and the flushed captain cut her off before she could say anything else.

"Shut up, Matsumoto!!!"

Urahara and Yoruichi giggled -yes, Urahara _giggled_; Ichigo hoped to never see it again- and bid some incoherent good-bye; Ishida was already on his way and Sado gave his usual nod, leading Matsumoto away as she giggled and hiccupped, his arm wrapped around the intoxicated woman very awkwardly.

It was only when everyone was out of their view that the two shinigamis turned to look at each other then snorted at their friends' drunken behaviour. When they turned around, they were greeted with a rather thoroughly trashed living room and numerous boxes stacked under the Xmas tree, untouched; they had never got around to opening the gifts once alcohol started to take over the party.

Ichigo decided to leave the cleaning for tomorrow; he was feeling quite languid under the influence of alcohol, and most of all, there was something more important he needed to attend to. Seeing that his little dragon had already returned to the couch and was slumped in the cushioned seat, the substitute shinigami grinned and moved in silently like a predator ready to pounce on its prey.

Hyourinmaru had left Hitsugaya's back a long time ago and was leaned against the couch arm along with Zangetsu since the orange-haired teen didn't bother returning to his body when they had come back from the park. The party had been fairly entertaining, with much thanks to the healer girl and the Quincy teen, not to mention his own vice-captain and the ex-Supreme Commander spicing things up even further. Yoruichi had provided many tales of one substitute shinigami's past since Kurosaki had gained his shinigami power and everyone had a great laugh when she told them about the time the catwoman had revealed her true form -very much unclothed- to the injured strawberry for the first time.

Thinking back to the past few stormy hours, Hitsugaya allowed himself a smirk; it had been noisy and Matsumoto had been unsurprisingly annoying from time to time but he had to admit it had been an unusual birthday and if he cared to admit, somewhat enjoyable than his past lonely, forgotten ones.

"Tired?"

Hitsugaya opened his eyes to find the familiar orange mob hovering above him from behind the couch. It reminded him of the time just before two Espadas had burst into the flat to take them away to Hueco Mundo, only that now the teen was where he had been and him in Kurosaki's place. The sea-green eyes stared into the chocolate ones before Hitsugaya murmured quietly lest he would break the calm tranquillity that had started to descend on them.

"No, not really."

Hitsugaya scoffed when the substitute shinigami bent down and brushed their noses together. Letting the orange-haired teen have his fun only for a few seconds, he soon swatted Kurosaki away, feigning his annoyance, and snorted when the taller one dropped a quick kiss on his nose before standing back up, away from the aimlessly flailing hands. Grinning at the amused teal orbs, Ichigo jumped over the back of the couch and landed next to his lover.

"Enjoyed it?"

"I guess. You know Soi Fon taichou would have killed to have been in your place during your bankai training, what with all those times at the onsen, right?"

Ichigo blushed and somehow managed to blanch at the same time.

"I'm telling you, she has mentally scarred me for life and afterlife."

Hitsugaya snickered but didn't speak any more. There were countless empty bottles rolling around on the floor, mostly the works of Matsumoto and Yoruichi, dirty, strawberry cream covered plates stacked up on the table and bits of streamers here and there, but despite the chaos, there was cosy, comfortable air around them. Before he knew, the relaxed captain had nestled his head on Ichigo's shoulder, the white spikes tickling the substitute shinigami's neck. Taking his chance, Ichigo put his arm around Toshiro's slim waist and pulled the small boy onto his lap in one go, making the prodigy yelp in surprise.

"Kurosaki, what…"

"Shh."

Ichigo shifted his hold until his little dragon was sitting across his lap in sideway, cradled in his arms. Once settled and the unperturbed serenity returned, the prodigy started to sag in the hold, the snow-crowned head resting against the broad shoulder again. Ichigo pressed his cheek against the gravity-defying spikes, enjoying the ticklish feeling from the silky tendrils brushing across his skin. A comfortable silence embraced the two content lovers as they enjoyed each other's warmth before the orange-haired teen quietly broke it.

"Happy birthday, Toshiro."

"…Arigato."

Hitsugaya's breathing hitched at the moment; one of Kurosaki's hands had discreetly crept in his shihakshou and was flitting across his skin, the places touched by the callused hand instantly flaming up as blood started to rush its course at faster speed. Ichigo's face remained leaned against the cotton-soft tuft and the young captain nuzzled into the crook of the teen's neck somewhat instinctively as the hand expanded its exploration. The tips of the long, cool fingers ghosted over the toned belly in circles before they moved up to the flat chest and when those sensual digits found the rapidly hardening nub, Hitsugaya couldn't help but arch into the touch, sucking in a sharp breath.

Ichigo turned his face a little so that he could kiss the white locks, getting aroused at how the frigid captain leaned into his touch in his arms. His lover's breathing was becoming shallow and fast, each puffs of hot breaths speeding his heartbeat as they stimulated the overheated skin of his neck. He twirled the flesh in his fingers before he brushed his thumb across it and one of the small hands came up to clench the front of his shihakshou, most likely, involuntarily.

With one arm supporting the lithe body, Ichigo had only one free hand so he reluctantly left the hardened nipple and moved down again to loosen the white sash tied in its usual ribbon around the slim waist. His lover remained completely still as he pulled the cloth, easily undoing the ribbon, and Ichigo spread the top open just enough to allow his hand easier access to Toshiro's torso, its destination the other nipple that had been neglected. As his fingers toyed with the flesh, Ichigo bent his neck and flicked his tongue to trace along the outline of Toshiro's ear near his face. As soon as the wet tongue reached the sensitive flesh, a shudder wrecked the lean body in his arm and the other hand had also reached for Ichigo's shihakshou.

"Ichigo…"

The calling was breathy, raspy, quiet and most of all, needy, and the obvious desire in the usually cool prodigy sent a shiver down Ichigo's spine, not to mention the return of his first name from those tender lips. Ichigo rolled the sensitive nipple in his fingers for one last time before he let his fingers flit across the chest to the erogenous shoulder. The clenches at the front of his shihakshou tightened and the body trembled as Ichigo continued to torture his lover's hypersensitive skin.

Letting the hands roam around as they feel like, Ichigo lifted off his head to take a look at his flushed boyfriend and felt his lusty desire rocketing at what he saw; two hands clung onto his black kimono as if it was a lifeline and the glazed emerald eyes stared at his neck almost hungrily. Once in a while when his hand ghosted over the erogenous areas, the foggy eyes would flutter shut, the white eyebrows knitting at the sensation. The cheeks were flamed in beautiful red and Toshiro buried his face into Ichigo's shoulder every time an electric shot coursed through his body, muffling his mewls, as he squirmed in the substitute shinigami's strong arms, all of his guards completely down.

How goddamn beautiful and dead hot Toshiro looked.

Flushed, panting, nuzzling, and writhing.

Utterly fuckable.

Unaware of what kind of dirty thoughts were flooding the horny teen's mind, Hitsugaya clenched the black fabric again when a thumb rubbed his hardened nipple once more. He barely registered when Kurosaki slid the loose shihakshou off his shoulder just enough to expose the bare skin. Hitsugaya let out a quivering sigh when the arm that had been holding him in place moved up and the warm hand brushed across the uncovered shoulder; since the first time when the idiot had found out about his sensitive areas -it turned out shoulders weren't the only one-, Kurosaki always did his best in exploiting them, much to his chagrin. Then just as the other hand ran down to below his belly button, Kurosaki blew hot air over his ear and in less than a second, the prodigy captain was issuing very erotic moans, adding fuel to the hormonal teen's desire.

When the intensity of the stimulation decreased a little, Hitsugaya blearily opened his eyes and managed to free the rumpled fabric from his hold and he plunged his hands into the taller one's shihakshou; Kurosaki's heat was practically palpable through the shihakshou on his face that was pressed against the shoulder and he wanted to feel that fiery liveliness. The flushed captain smirked when he felt the teen's surprise as the torturous hands stopped their movements for a second and he lifted his head just enough to kiss the visibly throbbing pulse on his -stupid- lover's neck. A pink tongue poked out tentatively to tease the skin between the light kisses. Ichigo hissed at the sensation and warned in a low growl, thick with lust.

"If you keep doing that, I'm going to lose it here and now."

Hitsugaya snickered between his ragged breathing and Ichigo moved his hand down, brushing across the hardening erection that was still covered by the black kimono, effectively stunning the small captain. Smirking, the substitute shinigami pulled his lover in so that he could reach the sensitive shoulders and ran his tongue across the skin very slowly, leaving a wet trail.

"Oh, god…"

The sea-green eyes rolled again with the shakily muttered words at the indescribable sensation that almost stopped his heart and when the very hot and bothered captain recovered from the shocking pleasure, he set his mind on revenge and firmly grinded his hip where he could feel the teen's arousal. All movements came to a stop shortly as the substitute shinigami tensed and groaned in pleasure. Ichigo tightened his hold around his haughty lover and whispered into Toshiro's ear in a rough, almost desperate voice.

"Let's change the setting."

And even before the prodigy had chance to reply, Ichigo had stood up with Toshiro firmly cradled in his arms, striding into the bedroom. The bedroom was same as last time Hitsugaya had seen it; the built-in wardrobe that he had once blasted, the desk, the chair where Kurosaki used to sit and study or watch him sleeping, and the sky-blue donned bed that clashed brilliantly with the substitute shinigami's orange hair. But none of it mattered at this moment as the teen hastily laid him down on the bed and climbed up above him, crashing their lips in a heated kiss.

The kiss was fiery and desperate, tongues swirling and pulling each other. Hitsugaya's arms had come around Ichigo's neck, pulling him down into the kiss and the large hands relished in the silkiness of the snow-white hair. They only broke off when every single bit of air had deserted their lungs and stared at each other's flushed faces as they panted. It was after a few seconds that Hitsugaya first spoke, his voice uncharacteristically breathless and unsteady.

"You know…"

"Hmm?"

"I didn't even know it was my birthday today."

Ichigo chuckled and licked the warm, sweet petals before planting a butterfly kiss on the forehead.

"I knew you wouldn't notice."

"Mm."

"Sorry I gave you a heart attack."

The emerald eyes, clouded with lust, looked right at the teen before Hitsugaya shook his head.

"No. I overreacted."

They were both very stubborn people and held their prides high, but Hitsugaya knew when to admit his faults and Ichigo, well, he was just one seriously whipped strawberry, wasn't he; the substitute shinigami hated to see anyone he cared in any sadness or pain and when it came to Toshiro… Well, enough said, really.

Ichigo smiled and dove down again for another kiss while one hand caressed the pink cheek, the other running down to open up the shihakshou fully, the garment now only a hindrance for both of them. Toshiro's small hands crept inside his robe and flittingly ran along the overheated skin, making him moan at the tentative touch. Their lips stayed locked as Hitsugaya undid Ichigo's shihakshou and the teen squirmed to take them off while the captain hastily took off his haori. It wasn't long before the two lovers were flush against each other in skin-to-skin contact and gasping moans filled the steamy room as Ichigo's lips trailed downwards, leaving clear marks behind on the flawless skins.

Hitsugaya's bare shoulders already bore a few love bites -Ichigo's little yuki hime had almost lost all his bearings at the overstimulation- and now the teen's wet tongue was swirling around a nipple while the other hand slid down the toned belly onto the lean legs. Hitsugaya's own hands were buried in the orange mess as the captain arched into Ichigo's touch then hissed when the callused hand fleeted over his hard member.

"Ichigo…"

Hitsugaya was somewhat amused at how Kurosaki never failed to get him to feel elated, whether it be his emotion or his body. He wouldn't say he was getting impulsive like the impetuous teen but somehow even his tightest restrains came off so easily under the chocolate eyes and the warm hands.

"You are gonna enjoy this, Toshiro."

Hitsugaya felt the unkempt threads sliding out of his grip and was about to look down when his eyes shot wide open at the wet warmth that swallowed him. The teal orbs rolled before scrunching shut as Ichigo started to run his tongue along the pulsing erection and a throaty moan escaped the parted lips.

With a smirk, Ichigo brought the whole length into his mouth again and moved his lips up at a tantalisingly slow speed before he whirled his tongue around the head. The slender hip bucked up just as Ichigo let go of the tormented flesh but before Hitsugaya could say anything, the orange-topped head was bobbing up and down again and the icy captain soon lost himself in the surreal pleasure coursing through his veins. A pair of petite hands clenched the sky-blue sheet and the lean legs trembled visibly, the muscles twitching, as the familiar, explosive heat started to pull around where Ichigo was busily torturing him.

"Ichigo… Ngh… God…!!!"

Ichigo replaced his mouth with his hand as he moved up again and firmly stroking the length, he claimed the sweet lips with his own. Hitsugaya quickly linked his arms around his lover's neck as he eagerly leaned into the kiss, almost delirious from the nearing climax. The substitute shinigami could feel the lithe body tensing and sped up his stroking as his tongue delved into Toshiro's mouth, chasing after its partner.

"Mmm……!!"

The loud moan was muffled by the unbroken seal at the lips and Hitsugaya spilt himself onto Ichigo's hand which did not stop its caresses, dragging out his orgasm. The turquoise eyes were scrunched shut as the world literally exploded around the seizing captain, every muscle contracting and convulsing out of control. It was only when the thin arms fell limp on the bed that Ichigo removed his hand, the sticky white substance now cooling on his fingers.

Hitsugaya managed to open his eyes only when he had calmed down enough to feel his own limbs and glared at the grinning carrot-top half-heartedly.

"You nearly suffocated me."

Ichigo gave a playful wink.

"I'm sure I was less a threat than Rangiku-san."

Hitsugaya scoffed and moved his shaky arms to pull his lover down for a light kiss. When the coy touch left him, Ichigo leaned his forehead against the still trembling boy's and whispered.

"May I continue our dance with the permission from my yuki hime?"

A weak smack on his head followed the teasing question but Ichigo didn't take his hands off the sweet body in front of him. The substitute shinigami smiled when Toshiro arched up and pressed his luscious lips against his again; it was a more than enough answer.

Smudging the sticky fluid covering his hand onto his fingers, Ichigo planted butterfly kisses along the sensitive shoulders to distract the captain from his digits circling the puckered ring before one slipped through the tight muscle. Soon two more followed and they moved and stretched the walls with such tenderness that Hitsugaya almost didn't feel any discomfort. Then Kurosaki, now with practiced ease, found his sweet spot and raked the fingers across it, sending a blinding shock through his body.

"Mmpf…!"

Yet again, his moan was swallowed as the taller one dipped down; even in amidst of all the heat his body was put to, Hitsugaya had to wonder if the stupid strawberry was planning to drain him of oxygen. The kiss was relatively short-lasted but Ichigo continued to drop feathery touches, travelling down the face, the neck and the chest. As the teen moved down, two delicate hands slid up the toned back, feeling the muscles ripple under the sweat-coated skin.

It was when the fingers started to move in scissoring action to stretch the tight tunnel that Ichigo returned for another kiss. When the boy under him started to writhe at the administration down below, the substitute shinigami left the sweet petals to grab a bottle of lube from his desk drawer while Toshiro laid on the bed, panting.

"As I said, you are suffocating me."

Ichigo chuckled as he closed the drawer.

"I just can't get enough of you."

"Baka."

"You love me for it."

The white-haired shinigami snickered before he stretched out his arms towards Ichigo in silence. The orange-haired teen understood the gesture and gently pulled the small boy up as he sat back down on the bed with his back on the headboard.

Lean arms wrapped around Ichigo's neck while the teen's linked around the slim waist. Hitsugaya loved it when their bodies were flush against each other like this, the blazing heat of the fiery teen surrounding his frigid chill; Ichigo couldn't care less about their positions as long as he got his icy drug and his Toshiro was happy. Their eyes were locked on each other's, bearing the same intense lust and desire and they were close than they could physically be. The orange-haired teen's face was never more than an inch away from his and it truly felt like a complete one being as their sweat-coated skins rubbed against each other.

Of course, the aloof captain would never say it in such details; it had been dire enough for the icy prodigy when the idiot kept prodding him with what was in his opinion, rather crude questions, never ceasing until Hitsugaya finally gave up and mumbled some incoherent answers with his face on hellfire which, somehow, the teen understood.

It had taken a lot of time and an equal amount of effort before he could get it out of the flushing captain (his yuki hime had looked ready to die out of embarrassment at the time) but in the end, Ichigo had found out that his little dragon had taken a liking to straddling him as they held each other close in their arms. The young captain had blushed so much at the time that the substitute shinigami worried for a second if the enchanting snow-white hairs were going to turn scarlet red as well.

Once Toshiro had nestled his head on the shoulder, half-sitting on his knees, Ichigo quickly covered his twitching member in more than enough lube and poured some more onto his fingers. He kissed the love bites on the smooth shoulders that he had left behind as he slid his fingers in through the tight ring again to make sure that his lover was prepped as much as possible. The slick digits easily passed through the entrance that had been well stretched beforehand and coated the inner walls with the oily substance.

"Ichigo… Just…"

"Just what?"

Hitsugaya lifted his head off and glared at the teen in front of him, his cloudy teal eyes telling Ichigo that he would better get moving or he would regret it in one way or the other later on. Kissing the pout lips, Ichigo chuckled and pulled out his fingers, but not before he deliberately raked across the sweet spot deep inside, to which the snow-topped head fell back on his shoulder again. Turning his face towards Toshiro, Ichigo locked his lust-filled gaze with that of barely hidden desire of his glacial prince and held the narrow waist, lowering Toshiro onto his slick length while he let the smaller one take control of the pace.

Kurosaki had never been rough on him during their nights but tonight, the passionate teen was even more gentle and tender than usual. Stupid carrot-top, Hitsugaya thought to himself as he held the substitute shinigami's face in his hands and smiled softly despite the dull ache from his lower back; it was one of Toshiro's rare loving smiles that lit up the whole world in Ichigo's eyes and coupled with the tight grip that was swallowing him slowly, the teen forgot how to breathe for a second.

"…Toshiro…"

Hitsugaya didn't say anything but continued to move down slowly, the pace unhurried as the muscular arms supported him firmly. When Ichigo was fully buried inside the hot tunnel and the hips finally met, they held each other tightly, the parted lips constantly seeking each other as Toshiro's dainty hands ran through the damp orange mop. One of Ichigo's hands stayed on the small of Toshiro's back as it rubbed the tense muscles and it wasn't long before the white-haired boy gently rolled his hip and in response, Ichigo thrust his hip upwards, the soft brown eyes on his lover's face, watching out for any sign of pain. He was determined to make this as painless and pleasurable as possible for his special dragon's special day.

Some nights were for intense, heated sex to compensate for the long intervals between their meetings but some nights were for gentle, soft love-making, enjoying each other's presence and the comfort it brought and tonight was the case of the latter as the two shinigamis rocked tenderly, hands running across the overheated skins, coated with a thin sheet of perspiration. When the kissing became too difficult with their ragged, irregular breathing, they leaned their foreheads against each other as the connected bodies continued to dance in the night, desperate calls for the other echoing in the steamy room.

"Toshiro… You feel so good…"

"Mmm…! Ichigo…"

It took only a few thrusts for the substitute shinigami to locate the boy's prostate and from then on, no more words were spoken save the grunting and the sultry moans as two bodies moved in perfect rhythm each other, bringing the electrifying pleasure that would send them over the edge. As Ichigo continued to impale the writhing body in his arms, the linked arms around Ichigo's neck started to tense, the walls surrounding him contracting spasmodically while the frayed breathing ghosting over his neck became hitched. Ichigo buried his face in the crook of his lover's neck and licked the flawless skin, receiving a lusty moan from the shuddering boy.

"I…chi… ah… go…"

"Toshiro… let me hear… the words…?"

The question had barely left the substitute shinigami's lips when the petite hands swiftly moved down from the unruly hair to the teen's face as Toshiro brought his lips to Ichigo's ear and whispered in what could only be described as the most seductive sound that Ichigo had ever heard, the shallow breathing on his ear going straight to his already strained groin.

"I love you."

Ichigo closed his eyes as the quiet words thrummed his eardrums amidst the sound of the pounding pulse, his lips curving upwards; he would never get tired of hearing those words in that low voice, not even in his forever with his icy dragon.

"I love you, too."

The whisper was breathy as the hold around the slender waist got tighter and the thrusts got faster and harder, hitting the small boy's deep spot every time. The gasping moans soon turned into silent screams as Toshiro clung onto Ichigo, burying his face in the crook of the neck. Their lungs were on fire, their hearts felt like they were going to jump out of their chests and their brains seemed to have lost the solid state but at this moment, all that mattered was the hot pleasure that was engulfing them as Ichigo continually plunged into the tight tunnel, filling his small lover.

"God, Toshiro… Mm…!"

Hitsugaya couldn't even make any comprehensible words at this point. Ichigo's hard length was incessantly moving in and out of him, slamming on his deep spot, and he was lost in the blinding world, his body plunging down in beat with the teen's thrusts on its own accord.

Ichigo had to close his eyes by this point; Toshiro's inner walls were clenching like there's no tomorrow and just watching his sultry dragon moving right in front of him, his snow-crowend head thrown back in lusty pleasure was going to push him over the edge right there and then. Barely remembering not to bruise the slim hips -the teen was proud; he could actually think at this stage when his brain had taken off to cloud nine on its own-, he slammed in and in next to no time, the lithe body started to tremble and tense, the gasping moans getting louder.

"Ichigo, I'm……! Ahhh…!"

"…To… shiro…!"

Ichigo groaned when he felt the tight tunnel he had been plunging into tense around him unbelievably as the exploding captain bit his shoulder, smothering the orgasmic scream. The emerald eyes were firmly shut and the body was still riding out the ecstatic high when the substitute shinigami climaxed inside him, groaning his name, and Hitsugaya let out another quieter moan when he felt the hot loads hit the convulsing walls.

His body continued to tremble from the force of the orgasm as he barely managed to stay sitting up, his arms now slackly wrapped Ichigo's neck, who was also lost in the explosion, leaning against the headboard; both of their arms were still around each other just about, as the ecstatic high had drained their energies.

Another reason Hitsugaya liked this position -not that the stupid strawberry knew; just saying he liked a certain position was a bad enough nightmare without having to explain why- was that once they had returned from the seventh heaven and their frizzled brains had solidified again, he could hear and practically feel Ichigo's rather erratic heartbeat without having to try to move their disobedient bodies; the sound of his lover's heart pumping the thick liquid around the body strongly at regular intervals never failed to bring calm, ocean-like comfort to him.

The languid captain was blankly staring at the orange-haired teen's neck as his vision started to return from the white supernova, when out of impulse -Ichigo might not be the only one rubbing off his counterpart-, he blew a wet raspberry against the presented skin. There was a weak but content chuckle and Ichigo murmured in an amused voice.

"That tickles."

Hitsugaya simply rolled his eyes although a faint smirk lingered on his lips.

"I think that's the whole point."

"Don't get me hot again, I am still inside you."

And as if trying to make a point, Ichigo gave a little roll of his hips that Toshiro was still sitting on and the startled captain almost whimpered, cringing slightly at the feeling of warm wetness escaping him at the movement. The member had now softened and they just had a mind-blowing orgasm but his body was still in a hypersensitive mode, especially where the teen was currently buried in. The turquoise eyes shot daggers at the substitute shinigami then Hitsugaya snorted when Ichigo smiled at him, faking innocence.

"It will be your own problem; I need to wake up early tomorrow."

"Now that's cruel, Toshiro."

Hitsugaya scoffed sleepily, almost draped over the teen's upper body, his idiotic lover's heartbeat nearly palpable on his skin. Ichigo held the small boy in his arms firmly as he slowly pulled out before settling his lethargic dragon down on his lap again, rubbing Toshiro's lower back. The callused hand continued to circle the small of the back and Hitsugaya nuzzled his head on the broad shoulder, rubbing his cheek against the bare skin as he tried to get comfortable in the hold again, his heavy eyelids now drooping down.

Ichigo stifled a laugh; he couldn't help thinking that his frigid prince was not unlike a cat at this moment, wanting to be stroked with affection, especially when he felt a content sigh on his neck as his hand made another circle on the slightly hunched back.

Only if his yuki hime would _purr_.

The teen smirked at the idea; he had got the aloof captain into cuddling, now he had another -seemingly impossible- goal to strive for.

"Shiro Neko." (AN: A white cat)

There was a twitch from the boy on his lap and Ichigo chuckled. He hadn't meant to say it out loud but didn't really regret it either.

"If you are coming up with another absurd nickname…"

Since he wasn't planning to piss off his birthday boy at the last minute, Ichigo didn't say anything and slid both of them down onto the bed on their back. Toshiro did have to wake up early the next morning if he were to get back to Soul Society in time. The worn-out captain yawned as tiredness started to take over, a different form of haziness clouding the mesmerising teal orbs.

"Oyasumi, Toshiro."

"Oyasumi… Ichigo..."

"Happy birthday."

But there was no reply from his small lover who had already been taken away to the dreamland. Ichigo smiled and cocooned Toshiro in his arms, kissing the shimmering white tuft, as he pulled the blanket over them.

"Sweet dreams, yuki hime."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hitsugaya woke up very early the next morning; he had a rather convenient body clock that usually woke him up at the time he knew he had to without any need for separate alarms. The room was basked in dim light of the dawn as the sunlight continued to drive away the last remnants of the black night and the outside was very quiet, most of humans still lost in their sleep including the orange-haired teen next to him.

The emerald eyes looked down at the substitute shinigami for a second before Hitsugaya carefully extricated himself from Ichigo's arms and moved silently out of the bed. The orange-topped teen looked so peaceful in his sleep that the captain did not want to wake him up at this early hour. He took a quick shower in the bathroom and got dressed noiselessly for fear that he would break the serene silence.

Once all his clothes were in place, Hitsugaya grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and scribbled a note for his boyfriend who was going to either brood and get annoyed that he left without waking him up or appreciate his consideration for letting him sleep. The amused captain snorted; it was most likely to be the first reaction he would get.

He put the finished note next to the alarm clock and went into the living room where his zanpaktou had remained in same place over the night with Zangetsu next to it. Hyourinmaru on his back again, Hitsugaya was about to make for the door when he stopped and looked over his shoulder at the bedroom.

It was only a few seconds before the prodigy captain turned and went back into the bedroom. Kurosaki was blissfully unaware of his leaving, the chest rising and falling at a steady rhythm. The sea-green eyes watched his lover's peaceful slumber for a moment before Hitsugaya bent down and brushed his lips across the cheek, the touch as light as a feather. Not daring to ruin the tranquil break of the dawn, Hitsugaya whispered inaudibly.

"I'll see you later, Ichigo."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ichigo jolted out of his sleep when his perfect, dreamless sleep got interrupted by an obnoxiously loud alarm clock. It was the last remaining days of school before they broke up for winter holidays and the orange-haired teen scratched his head as he grunted and slammed down the ringing alarm. Noticing the missing bundle in his arms, he blinked away the residual sleep from his chocolate eyes which soon caught the note next to the clock. There was no need to see who it was from; the neat writing told him that already.

'Ichigo,

I've gone back to Soul Society. You were sleeping and I didn't want to wake you up so early. Don't sulk that I left without saying good-bye.

PS. Thanks for the birthday party.'

Ichigo smiled at the note then flopped back down onto the bed; the aloof captain had even used his first name. His boyfriend's ambrosial scent still lingered on the sheet and he could spare ten more minutes if he skipped his breakfast. He re-read the note and snorted at the 'don't sulk' line; that brat. Next time he visits, Hitsugaya Toshiro will find out how one Kurosaki Ichigo sulks.

When -a lot- more than ten minutes had passed and it came to point where Ichigo really had to start his day, he reluctantly got out of the bed and freshened up. As he locked the door and started walking to his school, he wondered; did his boyfriend's vice-captain wake up in time? And would all of his friends come into school today after last night's adventure in the right frame of mind for lessons?

Ichigo snickered. One Quincy was going to get a hell lot of taunting today. How he loved Inoue.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Taichou…"

"What."

"How can you be working already?"

"It's already been four hours since we came back, Matsumoto."

"Only four hours, taichou, only four hours. Aren't you tired, taichou?"

"I'm FINE, Matsumoto. Now focus on your paperwork."

"Are you sure, taichou? I mean, last night…"

"MATSUMOTO."

"I mean, you are looking a bit uncomfortable…"

"MATSUMOTO."

"If you want to take the day off…"

".."

"I mean, you even forgot about all the presents, caught up in your…"

"SHUT UP, MATSUMOTO!!!"

The buxom vice-captain giggled as her captain's face turned redder than a tomato and whizzed out of the office. Hitsugaya growled and buried his face in his hands.

Next year, he was not spending his birthday with Ichigo and Matsumoto together, even if it meant he had to disappear for the day and cope with a brooding carrot-top for a few days on his return.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_A pained voice was accompanied by a soft chuckle. Something clear glistened in the__ bleak__darkness__ and the chuckle grew into something __wicked__, something more dangerous. _

_"__Are you going to ask me to stop?__"_

_There was no reply. The person who asked the question didn__'__t seem to have expected one anyway._

_"__Of course not, right?__"_

_Why?_

_Another wicked laughter echoed around the dark room __eerily_

_And anyone who hears the laughter would know that nothing but destruction could come from it._


	8. Rise of a foe

**Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos [#07/?]**  
**Chapter rating**: PG  
**Chapter specific warning**: Be aware of info-dump  
**Chapter specific spoiler**: Anime Episode 132

**Chapter summary**: The murder investigation is at standstill while a new foe rises. Ichigo moves back into Kurosaki Clinic as his holiday begins and for Hitsugaya, distressing nights are nothing new.

**Author****'****s Note**:

1. All victims are OCs except Umaeda Toshimori.

2. At the end of the chapter, another original character is introduced to the story but I made up his zanpaktou so don't try to find out who he is with the dorky name /sweat/.

Ahem… Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday Toshiro, happy birthday to you!! Rejoice, everyone, for it's our Hitsu's birthday! I've already posted a birthday-special fic but I decided to update _Orderly Madness_ too. Thank you to those who reviewed, I really appreciated them!

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**:::::Orderly** **Madness, the Melody of Chaos by Kanon Ch.7::::: _Rise of a foe_  


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**Soul Society was quite peaceful these days. In fact, that was the way it had always been in the past but since the ryokas' first 'visit' to the souls' world, it had been rather abruptly disrupted and since then, peace had been something hard to find until now.

Of course, halcyon Soul Society didn't mean the shinigamis didn't have any work to do; everyone, especially the seated officers, were being chased around by their works inches from their butt but it was good to know that they did not have to worry about sudden fatal attacks by Arrancars anymore. However despite the seemingly calm situation, one petite female shinigami was beyond her measure of frustration at the progress in investigating the sick murders which were, and she hated saying it, practically none-existant. The case was taking over her duties -her life- as the second division captain, her attention mostly focused on Onmitsukidou's work.

Soi Fon read through the reports from the inquest team and for the umpteenth time, let out an almost inaudible irritated growl. She threw the stack of papers on the desk, tilting her head back to let out some of the strain building up in her muscles. The black eyes flickered towards the empty desk where her good-for-nothing vice-captain usually showered the poor furniture with cookie crumbs and bits of food. Oomaeda had been gone for some time; probably he's stuffing himself again, Soi Fon thought to herself, before pushing it out of her mind and turning back to a much more important matter.

Four murders, four victims; absolutely NO connection whatsoever except that they were male shinigamis. The only pattern in these murders was the despicable mutilation of the dead bodies. And that they had all been killed at night, but then who would dare commit such crimes in broad daylight anyway?

Soi Fon re-opened the case file she had just shut out of frustration. The familiar page that greeted her on the top was the information they had collected on the victims.

Hizumi Ayumu, the 15th Seat officer of the fifth division. The first victim of what soon became a serial murder was just your everyday shinigami with nothing standing out from his records. Reports on him during his student days were what you would expect to see from pretty much everyone else's; his grades were somewhere in the middle, he had a group of friends that he usually hung about with, and had been reprimanded for pranks that went over the line a few times but then everyone would have been in that position at least once during their academy times with only a handful of exceptions including Kuchiki who was too noble for such disgraceful activities, Hitsugaya who was too much of a genius for anyone to reprimand even if he was involved, and Komamura who only had the justice-obsessed captain-turned-traitor as his friend.

Kiyotaka Ryo, an unseated officer of the 12th division, was the second victim, killed off about a month and half after Hizumi Ayumu. Onmitsukidou had gone through every single document they could find, questioned every single shinigami who knew Kiyotaka, but they came to a dead end soon. It seemed Kiyotaka was a playful, bubbly man who had quite a number of friends. Some female shinigamis dropped a few lines of him being a rather touchy-feely type of a guy but that was all they got on the new victim.

Umaeda Toshimori, the 20th Seat officer of the ninth division, was the next one who had the fatal encounter, this time, only two weeks after the second murder, but no one seemed to be sad about his death. The comments made by his so-called colleagues were quite horrendous; despite being the lowest seated officer, he had often abused his authority to unseated shinigamis and made a few indecent moves on some of the female subordinates. Soi Fon concluded this one would have ended up in a trial sometime if he hadn't been killed off.

Kobayashi Kousuke, a soon-to-be 17th Seat officer of the third division; the latest victim. Only four days had elapsed before the killer struck again. It seemed Kobayashi was not too unlike his own captain; always smiling cheekily whatever the situation might be, somehow managing to get out of whatever trouble he had landed himself into rather sneakily. However everyone they had interviewed expressed their liking for the somewhat mischievous shinigami who enjoyed going out with his friends and had pretty rotten luck when it came to gambling. From what the questioning had found out, Kobayashi had been gambling again the night he got killed.

Despite how thoroughly they searched, there was no apparent connection between the victims; they lived in different areas, attended the shinigami academy at different times and hung out with different groups of people. The scene of the crime was inconsistent; so far, only the Northern District had escaped the bloody clutches of grim deaths. Whether it was because the killer was targeting certain victims or left the area out of pure chance was unknown.

Soi Fon almost scoffed at that point although she could not quite stop rolling her eyes out of exasperation; everything was a mystery in this case. The degree of the mutilation signalled some personal hatred but there was no connection between the victims so far that would lead to one person in question. She could not even tell if this was a meticulously planned work of a mastermind or a loose psychotic murderer. However it was very unlikely to be the second case; because of the nature of their work, some shinigamis inevitably ended up in the fourth division due to a varying degree of shell-shock from battles and losses, but with their community so closely knitted together, no one with such problems escaped the eyes of their friends or division comrades completely.

Nevertheless, mental or not, this killer definitely had good brains to go with it. The crime scenes were always clean of everything except the victim's own blood and possessions; there was no trace of anything that indicated someone's presence there, never mind evidence to point out the killer.

The file went into the post-mortem reports from Unohana but Soi Fon was not quite reading the black, neat but curly writings on the paper, instead, frowning as the black eyes stared at the report blankly. There were two things about this case that worried the petite Chinese. One was that the time interval between the murders was getting shorter and shorter. With the irregular intervals, there was no telling for sure but at this rate, they could lose two, three shinigamis a week. The team had not found anything that might indicate any significance in the dates but came up with nothing as usual; nothing noteworthy had happened in any of the affected divisions, related to the victims or not. With no visible pattern in the dates of the murders, it meant Onmitsukidou could not predict when the killer would strike again, putting them at a huge disadvantage.

The other finding troubled her even more than the first one in a way; the clean cuts through the victims' necks. All of the fatal stabs had missed the major arteries running along both sides and severed the spinal cord perfectly. The deaths were always instantaneous, leaving no audience and witnesses with the quick and silent assassinations and with the arteries undamaged, the murderer had prevented any possible spray of blood on him or herself. There was once a time that Soi Fon and Unohana had thought that it might have been just luck but four victims with the exactly same wounds spelt skill, and a very good one at that.

The possibility of another defector at a high rank was getting alarmingly high, much to her dread.

"Excuse me, this is the second division third Seat, Seizaburo Tetsuya. Is Soi Fon taichou present in the office?"

Soi Fon frowned at the sudden intrusion of the voice that interrupted her thoughts. As far as she knew, there should be nothing that required her attention at this moment.

"What is it?"

"Unohana taichou is here to see you, taichou."

The second division captain was somewhat surprised at the announcement. Captains seldom made the effort to visit other divisions -unless you were Ukitake- as any necessary communications were carried out by the hell butterflies or their subordinates. It was even rarer for a captain to drop by without any arrangement beforehand as the captains could be pretty much anywhere in vast Seireitei, especially Soi Fon who had Onmitsukidou under her command as well as the second division.

"Open the door."

"Hai!"

Soi Fon stood up from her seat as the door slid open and she greeted the gentle, soft-spoken shinigami into her office, motioning at the couch for Unohana to sit down. The fourth division captain smiled as she took the offered seat, casting a quick, unnoticeable glance behind her shoulder to see the third Seat officer closing the door.

"Soi Fon taichou, I'm glad to find you in the office. There was something I wanted to tell you about the case."

Soi Fon nodded and muttered a chant for a shield that would prevent anyone overhearing their conversation. The silent air rippled for a moment and both shinigamis could feel the invisible barrier solidifying around the room. The Chinese shinigami decided to lock the office door as well just in case Oomaeda would barge into the room even if she doubted the cookie-obsessed man would come back anytime soon. Unohana waited calmly in her seat until Soi Fon was happy with the security.

"Would you like some tea, Unohana taichou?"

Unohana shook her head with a smile on her face, knowing that the fierce second division captain was not all too comfortable with such a task, most likely due to her ruthless upbringing.

"No but thank you. I will not be taking too much of your time."

"Is there something new you have found?"

Unohana waited until the other shinigami had sat down before she answered the question, her voice quiet but firm. It was a tone that put the subordinates at ease but at the same time, made them respect and obey the orders from the kind healer.

"Yes and no. The post-mortem results have been no different and the reiatsu remains too faint for a decent analysis. However I have just been going over the victims again when I realised something."

A gleam flickered in the obsidian eyes of the Chinese shinigami; finally, a step forward.

"What is it?"

"The reiatsu seems to be getting stronger."

Soi Fon raised her brows at the simple statement. Unlike the ruthless image that herself projected, Unohana was known for her angelic calmness but the healer shinigami, Soi Fon found out, never did anything more than necessary including her words. If anyone thought that the fourth division captain was talkative, it was because she tried to put her patients at ease as a part of her job.

"Stronger?"

Unohana nodded; whether this was good news or bad news, she could not tell, but it was one of very few things in this murky case that she was sure of.

"Yes. The reiatsu at the neck wound on the fourth victim had definitely been more obvious than in the first victim. The rate of its increase seems inconsistent and I would have failed to notice it for a long time if it had not been the erratic surge in the last victim."

"What does it mean?"

"I have two theories on that. First is that the killer is getting stronger, second is that because of his or her success in the murders, the killer is becoming more careless."

"…I see."

"If this continues, the reiatsu will eventually get strong enough to examine in the case that we fail to capture the one responsible beforehand."

"How long would you say it would take before it becomes distinguishable?"

The response was not what Soi Fon had wanted to see as Unohana shook her head, a small frown marring the serene face.

"That I cannot say for sure. However if the reiatsu does continue to rise, it will certainly propel the investigation. It is our luck that the annual medical check-up is about to start so I am planning to take samples during the examination."

Soi Fon nodded although her face remained grim. It was as good an evidence as any but for it to be useful, the reiatsu still needed to be stronger. However she also wished she did not have to see any more victims maimed at the hands of this twisted killer. What would come first; a new victim or their success at catching the murderer? In the current situation, the possibility of just finding out the identity of the culprit was slim, let alone making a successful arrest.

The Chinese felt like giving out a huge sigh but held it back, keeping her face in a solemn but determined look despite the truth she had to accept. The words were like bitter acid on her tongue; Soi Fon had never been good at accepting failure.

"Onmitsukidou is coming up blank on the investigation, so that is our only lead at this moment in time."

Unohana did not say anything, not that there was any need for words. Even for the medical shinigami who had tended many different grave wounds, the bodies had been dismal sights. In her opinion, no one deserved such mutilation, whatever sin they had committed. The two female shinigamis stayed silent for a while, both lost in their thoughts. At the end of their short meeting, they came to a same depressing conclusion.

It seemed that there was nothing else they could do except wait for the killer to strike again.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Nelliel."

The dull sea-green hair whipped around at the expressionless voice, pale brown eyes meeting a single green one. Nelliel offered a small smile but as expected, nothing was given in return from the melancholy Vasto Lorde.

"How is it coming on?"

The gentle smile grew wider and Nelliel looked like Ulquoirra had just given her the best present ever, instead of dropping a mere greeting. Excitement was evident in her dreamy eyes which was not something often seen from the usually calm, composed Menos.

"I think I figured out how it works. The barrier seemed to… 'reject' and delete the wearer's presence including reiatsu from others' senses, hence you become undetectable by them. But because it's 'rejecting' the presence from others, not the existence itself, you can still exert your reiatsu. I guess the rejection is why the wearer can walk through things as well."

"And the resonance?

"It looks like the barriers give off a certain wavelength, so those with the same frequency should be able to recognise each other, theoretically speaking."

"How close are you?"

Nelliel shook her head at the question, losing all of her confidence and enthusiasm far too quickly. There had been no decent progress at all in making new ones. Just finding out its technical details had almost sapped her entire energy and there had been only too many times that she had felt like giving up.

The bracelet was much trickier than she had ever imagined. It was complicated enough to create a barrier that would 'reject' their presence, let alone maintaining it around the wearer. Ulquoirra eyed the cracked black accessory on the desk with no readable expression on his face before taking out his own silver one.

"Here."

The half-ram female was surprised; Ulquoirra was very protective of the last remnant of his past and hardly ever let it out of his sight unless absolutely necessary. Most of the modification had been finished already so she hadn't expected to get it in her grasp again.

"…The original one?"

"I need you to have a look at it. It seems the barrier may be faltering a little."

Nelliel took the flawless, shiny bracelet from Ulquoirra's hand and scanned it with her reiatsu. The impassive Vasto Lorde was right; the bracelet was less than perfect. She looked up at the dark green eye with a comforting smile.

"Give me a few days; I'll have to figure out exactly what's gone wrong first before I do anything else."

Nelliel wasn't too surprised that the bracelet was giving out under Ulquoirra's reiatsu; even after the degeneration from his Espada form, the powerful Menos continued to emit very strong reiatsu and the bracelet had originally been made for a much weaker human girl.

"Get it back to me as soon as possible."

A glimpse of disappointment flitted across the delicate feature at the ruthless tone before it quickly disappeared.

"Okay… Ulquoirra?"

A pair of unsympathetic bottle green eyes looked at her deadpan and Nelliel fidgeted a little before she shook her head.

"Nothing, just… you know I'm here and…"

There was a flicker of confusion darting across the chalk-white face but it vanished in a split second that even Nelliel, who was just about the only one who could catch out any changes in the stoic face, had to doubt her eyes.

"What are you on about?"

Nelliel smiled, unfazed by the monotone voice and the harsh words.

"Nothing, forget what I said. Don't worry about the bracelet, you'll have it back as soon as I'm done with it."

When she didn't hear any reply, she looked up to find that Ulquoirra had already disappeared from her view. Nelliel stared at the spot Ulquoirra had been standing until just a few seconds ago with an incomprehensible expression on her face.

'…Ulquiorra… Where are you going to go after this…?'

She let out a small sigh and turned around, pushing the black bracelet to the side. It was time to get back to work.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Winter nights in Seireitei were not as non-forgiving as those in the human realm but it didn't mean they were ignorable. One of a few who remained allegedly unaffected by the frosty temperature was currently asleep on his office desk, the snowy white hair glowing in the bleached moonlight that shone through the open window. A right arm acted as a pillow for the worn-out captain as his head rested on the folded limb, a left arm winding around on the opposite side, hiding most of his face from the view. The air in the office was as cold as it could get but the arctic prodigy remained unaware of the freezing chill as he took a few precious hours of sleep.

However one could tell on a closer observation that the slumber was not a peaceful one; on the contrary, it was rather fitful, the persistent scowl on his face twisting into a pained expression, two small hands tightly fisted on the desk. There were some twitches in the tense shoulders and the eyes scrunched shut before the captain jolted awake into an upright position, the clouded teal orbs wide open, his breathing ragged.

It was some time before Hitsugaya realised where he was and rubbed his eyes, the hand sliding down his face before dropping limp by his side. A small turn of his face provided him with the view of the achromatic midnight sky through the open window which he stared out blankly while the nightmare still haunted his hazy mind.

Hitsugaya sighed quietly; it had happened again. The scene of his last encounter with his late sister, replayed so clearly, so realistically, so vividly in his dream that it left his body achy with all the tensing and twitching, his head throbbing, and his teeth dully painful from the fierce gritting. It happened much more rarely now compared to before but once in a while, it would come back to disturb his rest -- who was he kidding; it gnawed and ripped his soul right through the core and left him in a mood beyond description. Kurosaki had been more than helpful on those nights when the troubled captain had woken up, trembling in his arms, and things had been improving albeit slowly over the stay.

'…Hinamori…'

Hitsugaya opened his hands, staring down at them in complete silence, grave pain apparent in the swirling turquoise eyes. He could still feel that touch, that stab on his hands; the feel of Hyourinmaru's blade piercing through the girl's small, fragile body. The emerald orbs flared with anger and sadness before Hitsugaya closed them and took a deep breath. He had acted brave and fine but deep inside, he knew this was going to take a very long time to get over, if not ever.

Whatever the situation might have been, even if she had continually refused to believe him and later betrayed him and their past, in the end, it remained that he had killed his sole family with his own hands. Even though Kurosaki repeatedly told him that it had been the only and the best choice and the logical part of Hitsugaya himself understood it as well, his emotional part could not let go of the huge guilt he felt.

The turquoise eyes opened up again and scanned the dark sky, a canvas of total blackness, complete opposite of his white hair; the white hair that Hinamori used to love to tousle before he roughly swatted away, the same white hair that Kurosaki loved to gently run his large, warm hand through.

The ashen face managed to contract its muscles into a weak smile and Hitsugaya stood up from the chair, only to flop down on the couch that Matsumoto usually occupied. It was still sometime late at night and he probably had a few more hours before the next day began. His arms at his side, lying on his stomach, Hitsugaya stared out into the air blankly for a few minutes.

'……Ichigo…'

It was times like this that Hitsugaya wished he had the substitute shinigami with him in Soul Society, for him to embrace him and drive away the last broken pieces of nightmares that remained lodged in his frantic heart. The orange-haired teen understood what the captain was going through and he always knew exactly what to do during these unbearable moments.

However as the reality stood, Ichigo was most likely to be sprawled across his sky-blue bed, ignorant to the world around him, maybe, just maybe, dreaming about him. Hitsugaya remembered how the mod soul named Kon complained about Ichigo being totally 'whipped' and chuckled quietly albeit somewhat restrained; he couldn't believe he had just hoped that Kurosaki would be dreaming of him. The wary prodigy managed to turn to his side and took something out of his shihakshou.

It was the picture Ken, the boat owner, had taken of them in summer when the pair had gone to seaside for two days, and clamped between the picture and his thumb was the turquoise-coloured omamori that Kurosaki had given him at New Year. The omamori, initially tied at the hilt of Hyourinmaru, had caused far too many questions from his vice-captain -seriously; it was as if he had suddenly got the hyperactive pink bubble gum instead of the busty lazy ass in the office- that he had taken it off and now carried it in his shihakshou.

The sleepy emerald eyes moved from the amulet to the picture where the warm sunshine was almost palpable, the orange-haired teen with a lopsided smile and himself, more or less glaring at the camera, with the unforgettable boat 'Yuki Hime' behind them. Two copies of the picture had already been waiting for them when they returned to the human world after the War.

As he stared at the picture with half-hooded eyes, his thumb absent-mindedly rubbing the soft cloth of the omamori, Hitsugaya could feel his distress slowly leaving him, instead the exhaustion starting to take over his body. When a yawn managed to escape him, Hitsugaya returned his two comforters back to his shihakshou, closing his eyes, and it wasn't long before the white-haired prodigy was once again asleep, this time, with a serene expression on his face, the soothing moonlight engulfing the young shinigami in its silvery wings as if a certain wielder of a lunar zanapktou had asked for the nature's help to ease his special dragon in his place instead.

And at the time, in the human realm, Kurosaki Ichigo was turning around in his sleep, a single word -a name of a certain wielder of an icy zanpaktou- slipping out of his slightly curved lips.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Ichigo, my son, you are… Mmpf!!!"

A foot made a perfect impact with Isshin's face who had been charging -or rocketing, both seem to fit in well- at his son as soon as he stepped into the house with two sports bags in his hand, the annoyed scowl back on his face at his father's unchanged, unique welcoming. The ruckus caught the attention of the soft, brown-haired girl who glomped her brother as she called out for her twin sister.

"Onii-chan!!! Karin, onii-chan's here!"

Ichigo laughed at how excited his younger sister was; it was as if he had just walked through the door with the biggest Xmas present for her yet all he had in his hands was his own belongings. Yuzu had been most upset when Ichigo had decided to move out and although they were free to visit each other, Ichigo hadn't spent much time with his family this year due to Toshiro's stay at his place along with the new development in his life that kept sending him to Soul Society. Feeling slightly guilty at Yuzu's obvious happiness to see him again, Ichigo returned the tight hug from the small girl.

"Yo, Yuzu, you been okay?"

Karin appeared round the corner, leaning against the wall as usual while she let the two emotional heap bags -Isshin was making yet another attempt to torpedo his son- get their hands on Ichigo.

"Ichi-nii, welcome back."

"Karin, it's not like I had gone on a long journey or something."

The black-haired girl grinned at her brother as Yuzu let him go and walked up to him to give a bear hug.

"It had been a while since you stayed over here more than just a few hours."

Ichigo looked around the place at Karin's words; his school had broken up for winter holidays and today, he was moving back into the clinic since Karin was leaving the day after tomorrow for her football camp. Ichigo smiled at the nostalgic view; nothing had changed in this place including the idiotically huge poster of his mum that the goat-face was currently crying to. It had been nice to have his own place where he could come back from school without danger of any crazy flying kicks aimed at his face but the orange-haired teen did love his family and it felt good to be with them again.

"Well, I'm going up to my room, gotta unpack."

"Ichi-nii, Yuzu's cooking all your favourites for dinner tonight."

Yuzu beamed up at him and Ichigo smiled at her, ruffling her light brown hair before he made his way to his old room. All he needed was his clothes for a month and a few essentials so it didn't take him long to get everything out of his bags; which, unfortunately, included Kon who did not waste a second before starting his whining.

"I'm back in the burning hell!!! Ichigo! Why couldn't you have put me under Inoue-san's care! Why did you have to bring me back to my nightmare?!"

"Shut up, Kon, or I'm putting you in Yuzu's room."

That instantly shut the mod soul up, much to Ichigo's glee. Once all his clothes were in the closet that Rukia used to live in, Ichigo sat down at the desk with a piece of white paper and a pen in his hand. His chin came to rest on his left hand, the head tilted, as his right hand scribbled down the paper. There were occasional pauses but none of them lasted long as the pen silently scratched against the paper again in a matter of a few seconds.

"I can't believe you are writing to him again."

The hazelnut eyes left the paper and shifted to the stuffed lion toy which sat cross-legged on his bed.

"You are the one who said I'm whipped."

"You are not just whipped; you are freaking totally whipped."

"Yuzu."

"I'm zipping my mouth."

Ichigo snickered and returned his attention to the letter. He didn't have much to say, really. After all, he had written to his lover only two days ago. He was just finishing off the short letter when he heard Yuzu calling him from downstairs for dinner. Ichigo quickly folded the paper and put it in a white envelope before he left the room. The aromatic smell of food attacked his nose as soon as he opened his bedroom door and he realised how hungry he was right now.

Just as Karin said, the dinner was filled with his favourite dishes and he eagerly tucked in, getting into a few fierce chopstick fights with his father as they battled for the same plate. It was half-way through the brutal dinner that Ichigo remembered something.

"Ah, Pop, what are we doing for New Year?"

Isshin piped up at the question; sometimes Ichigo wondered how his old man could give off such immense energy 24/7 and seemingly never get tired.

"Isn't it obvious? We are all going to go out to the celebration and pray at the shrine after visiting your mother! I've already prepared new kimonos for you, my lovely daughters!!"

Karin made a face, muttering something under her breath; the tomboy soccer player hated wearing the traditional clothes. It might be pretty but it was so uncomfortable and restricting to move around in.

"Then can I bring someone along? I don't know if…"

However Ichigo never got to finish his phrase as Isshin suddenly stood up and leaned -shot- forward, his face only inches away from the teen's. It was hard to explain the expression on Isshin's face; doubts, anticipation, fear, excitement and a -major- hint of scary perversity. Karin simply ignored the whole display right in front of her eyes with 'I have seen it all before' look.

"Ichigo, you are bringing someone to our family New Year celebration?"

Ichigo stammered; his father seemed to be getting the wrong ideas. No, not so wrong ideas, Ichigo thought to himself, but it was definitely something he did not want to blurt out like this.

"Eh… Yeah, but…"

"My son has grown up so much!!!! Masaki, our son is bringing someone to the family celebration!!"

"Shut up and sit down, you idiot! I don't know if he can come or not!"

Isshin stopped his comical flow of tears and looked back at his son with a puzzled look.

"He?"

"I never said it was a girl."

Ichigo huffed, inwardly hoping that his father would not remember the fact that he had not denied what Isshin had just insinuated by screaming to that comical -yes, it was of his beautiful mum, but it was still stupid- poster. There was a few seconds of silence then Isshin suddenly walked up to Ichigo and patted his shoulder, an all-knowing smile on his face.

"Ichigo! Do not worry, I will not abandon you even if you are a gay!"

Ichigo blushed and blanched at the same time; he seemed to be doing that too often these days. Karin continued on with her dinner as if she hadn't just heard her dad calling her brother a gay while Yuzu choked on her water and looked at her two male family members through teary eyes.

While Ichigo did not want to deny his relationship with Toshiro, he was not sure how his boyfriend would feel about even more people knowing about them and most of all, Ichigo did not want to risk the goat-face running around, shouting that his eldest son had found love with a guy, announcing his relationship to the whole town. If Isshin did that -and he would- when they meet Toshiro, the prickly captain was sure to release Hyourinmaru after Ichigo, not Isshin, since the prodigy would not use his shinigami power on humans who did not know about his true identity.

Anyhow, the teen wasn't sure if he would tell his crazy father even if Toshiro was okay with his family knowing although Karin and Yuzu were different matters altogether, just like how Isshin classified his son and daughters at separate levels.

"Shut up, you idiot!"

Isshin opened his mouth to say something but thankfully Karin interrupted it with a well-aimed kick in his shin.

"Ichi-nii, just ignore him. So who are you going to bring?"

"My friend who was staying over at my place while he was ill. Yuzu, you remember him, right?"

Ichigo felt weird calling Toshiro his 'friend', not because the captain wasn't, but because he had just never called him so. Toshiro had been one of his friends, his nakamas, as their paths crossed often since Ichigo had saved Rukia, but the substitute shinigami had never actually referred to the icy prodigy as a friend to others until now; now, Ichigo liked the sound of the word 'lover' much more than 'friend'. Later, the teen thought to himself; he would tell them sometime in the future after speaking to Toshiro but it was not something he would like to blurt out over a dinner, especially when his mental dad was already frizzled to the core of his mind with the idea of Ichigo's lover, ahem, friend, coming over on New Year.

"Mmm… Hitsugaya-kun, was it?"

"Yeah, him."

"How is he now, onii-chan?"

"He's fine, damn busy though. So Pop, can he come or not?"

"Of course! I would not stand in your way of love! It is, after all, what parents are for!!"

Ichigo ignored his father and returned to his dinner; it would just go on and on if he responded and he did have half of his dinner left to finish.

The rest of dinner was finished in the usual Kurosaki style, Ichigo and Isshin kicking each other's butt, Karin ignoring them with practiced ease and Yuzu trying to stop them from demolishing the house. After the meal, Ichigo went back to his room, feeling rather worn out from his constant fight with his not-so-okay-at-head father; he hadn't had these incessant brawls for a long time. He was just adding a PS on his letter to Toshiro about New Year when he heard a knock on his door. Only one person in his family would do that; his old man just barged in -correction, crashed in- and Yuzu tended to call for him rather than knocking.

"Karin?"

The door opened and as expected, Karin was standing there.

"Ichi-nii, are you busy?"

Ichigo swirled around in his chair, pushing the letter aside for now.

"Nah, what's up?"

"Ichi-nii, that friend you are bringing over, he's a shinigami, right?"

Ichigo nodded. Karin was the only one in the family who knew about his double life as a substitute shinigami and although she didn't know all the details of her brother's past 'adventures', she now understood the concept of shinigamis and Hollows.

"Is his name Toshiro?"

The orange-haired teen raised an eyebrow in surprise; this, he hadn't expected.

"How do you know?"

"I thought it might be him when Yuzu told me he had white hair even though he was young. I've met him before."

"How?"

"It was when you had disappeared off somewhere. He helped me and my friends at a football game against some middle-school jerks then slashed a really big Hollow as well."

Ichigo blinked at his sister who had moved to sit on his bed, not hearing the bit about the Hollow.

"He helped you in a football game?"

"Yeah."

Ichigo blinked again. Karin looked at him oddly.

"He played football?"

"Yeah, he was brilliant. He managed to turn the game around in just a few minutes when we had been four goals behind."

A wicked grin spread out on Ichigo's face slowly; his prickly, frosty Toshiro playing football with Karin's friends, the _elementary_ students? Unaware of the odd look on his sister's face, Ichigo smothered an amused chuckle, lowering his head. He had obviously missed some really good things while he was away on Vaizard training. Another thing to add in the letter, he told himself.

"That little devil, he never told me about it. Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I forgot about it, it's not like you came back anytime soon after that and I never saw him again after that. So is he coming over for New Year?"

Ichigo shrugged, he did want to spend the New Year together with his lover but he wouldn't be surprised if the workaholic captain insisted on working even through the all important new start of a year since according to the prodigy, it was just another day to shinigamis who live much longer than humans. Of course, the substitute shinigami wasn't going to let that happen if he could help it.

"I don't know. He's taichou, not just any random shinigami like that afro dude, so he always has some insane amount of work to do."

"Oh, I need to apologise to him about that."

"Why?

Karin smiled somewhat nervously.

"I didn't know about you being the substitute and stuff and… well, I thought he really was an elementary school student."

Ichigo burst out laughing; he could picture in his mind so clearly, his boyfriend screaming that he was **not** an elementary school student. Karin eyed her brother with confusion; Ichigo had explained only the basic concept of Soul Society but not any traits of the captains except Kuchiki Byakuya -'oh, he's just a guy with a stick up his ass who was too thick to tell what's more important until I bashed it into him'- who got dragged into the conversation when Karin asked about Rukia. Leaving Ichigo to his gleeful laugh, she got up to leave her brother's room.

"Well, tell him to come over if he can, we'll be happy to see him again."

"Sure will."

When the door closed again, Ichigo returned to the letter. Suddenly, he had so many things to write.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

A lone figure, clad in a black kimono, stood in a well-hidden cave, the shadowy area dimly lit with two candles on either side of a long table. A pair of dark eyes shone brightly, reflecting the red light with a hint of menace and glee. On the table were thirteen bottles each holding different coloured liquids, placed in a straight line in parallel with what seemed to be a zanpaktou, its hilt deep purple that matched his hair and a spiked guard.

"You say they are ready?!"

There was a hum from the laid zanpaktou before a beautiful woman appeared next to the man. Her wavy, inky black hair ran past her shoulders and a thick, slithery snake wound around her body from her right ankle to her neck. The face was one of beauty but not of innocence or pureness; she was an epitome of a fatale femme. A hand with long, black-painted nails softly landed on top of the man's shoulder and she whispered into his ear in a thick, flirtatious voice, like a jazz singer trying to seduce her audience.

'Yes, we need no more testing from now on. They have all matured well to their full strength. All is left is to blend them together. You know what to do now, my master.'

There was a faint hint of sarcasm in the way that the woman had said 'my master' but it seemed the shinigami did not notice it as he nodded, his lips thinning into a line with solid determination. He pulled out an empty bottle from his pocket and opened the lid. Just as he picked up the first bottle, the woman flicked her wavy hair behind her shoulder, warning him in a tender voice that, if you listened to it very carefully, held a tone of wicked anticipation.

'Careful now, this is the last stage. You wouldn't want to ruin anything, would you, after all that waiting and testing?'

"No."

Calming the shaky hands, the man picked up each of the bottles and poured some of the liquids into the empty bottle. As soon as the 13th bottle was tipped and the content added to the mix, there was a venomous hissing sound and thick purple smoke started to fill the air.

'Now, say the chant I have taught you.'

Soon a quiet murmur echoed around the misty cavern as the man repeated the words over and over again and slowly but surely the fatal fume started to retreat back into the bottle where it started to condense into surprisingly clear liquid. Once the cave was clear of the mysterious fog, the woman moved behind the man and wrapped her arms around him.

'Pour it onto me.'

He picked up the bottled and tipped it so that the transparent liquid landed on his zanpaktou and the woman shivered, pressing against his back.

'Nice, very nicely done.'

"I've succeeded."

'Yes, you have. Do you have a plan how to go about it?'

The man did not answer, only taking the half-empty bottle back. The blade of the zanpaktou glistened with the fatal fluid that continued to merge as one with the cold metal. The dark violet eyebrows were furrowed, wet with sweats that had coated his forehead. The obsidian eyes of lethal beauty glanced at the man but the snake-wrapped woman did not pursue the matter; she knew just what to do exactly when in order to manipulate her master to her will.

'Sweetheart, do you want to try the final poison putting it into use on your real targets?'

The man stared at the gleaming cold steel, his eyes unfocused. The woman simply chuckled in such an innocent way that you would not have believed it came from this fatale femme instead of an angelic little girl and then disappeared. After a few minutes, the lone shinigami carefully sheathed his zanpaktou that was now coated in possibly the most noxious poison and put the tightly corked bottle in his pocket.

"Maybe."

He murmured, the dark eyes still yet to gain their full focus.

"Maybe, Hebi no Doku." (AN: Snake's poison)


	9. New development

**Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos [#08/?]**  
**Chapter rating**: PG-15 for description of mutilation  
**Chapter specific warning**: A murder. And another.  
**Chapter specific spoiler**: None

**Chapter summary**: The latest addition to the serial murder brings a new information to light.

**Author****'****s Note**:

Liteitai is the fifth squad of Onmitsukidou; they are the messengers with a folded hat covering their faces. The squad made their first appearance in the original Bleach when Kyouraku had just won against Sado; a messenger had come to deliver a message to Ise Nanao about the discovery of Aizen's death, which was classified as Class 1 priority message, signed by Yamamoto and Hitsugaya. One of Liteitai also got abused(?) by Yachiru when he kept insisting on delivering the message when Kenpachi and Ichigo were in a fight. Poor guy.

Now, I have an **announcement** to make. After this chapter, there will be no update for a while -just for a while-. My life is very rocky at the moment and I'm not very far ahead of this chapter. Instead of rushing things, I'd like to get around to them properly. I wouldn't say 'hiatus' since I'm still writing and I would return once I've written four or five more chapters, so I would be really glad if you all return when I post the next chapter. *Hiatus lifted*

As usual, thank you to everyone who reviewed because that's bread and butter for me and my muses.

PS One of reviewers pointed out that Karin plays soccer, not football. I live in UK and speak British English, which means that by 'football', I mean 'soccer'. Just a little clarification.

* * *

  
**:::::Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos by Kanon Ch.8::::: _New development_  
**_

* * *

  
The air was cool and crisp, the soft moonlight falling upon the blooming sakura tree in a shadowed corner. Small petals glistened in the silvery light that seeped through them, where two figures were whispering in low voices. The darkness of shadow easily overcame the weak, feeble moonlight that trickled through the countless pale pink petals, and the two were safely guarded away from the silent world. _

"_Wait…"_

"_Don't."_

"………"

"_Good."_

'…_Let………end……'_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

A blur was all anyone would have been able to see as a mysterious figure tore through the labyrinth-like streets in the lightless night of Seireitei. It landed on a narrow rooftop of a wall once in a while but was gone in the blink of an eye without any sound nor any hint that one had ever landed on it. The form came to an abrupt halt when some noises came from the other end of the dark street, a sober voice in amidst of slurry, drunken ones bidding farewell with 'see you tomorrow' before most of the noises started to drift away again. A soft, inaudible chuckle left the shadowed one's lips before disappearing from the spot again, only to reappear in front of one very startled shinigami.

And startled the poor shinigami should be, for one second ago, he was contemplating about what time he had to wake up tomorrow morning, and the next second, his eyes were blankly staring into the air, devoid of life. The same blade that had pierced four other's necks left its latest victim and this time, there was no staring at the lifeless form, no inexplicable gaze spared for the pitiful, limp body, sprawled on the freezing cold ground. A few rustles of clothes, a few swings of a dangerously shining katana were soon followed by sickening bone-crunching sounds.

And that night, Seireitei had its fifth victim, lying in his own pool of blood, his mouth filled with his own castrated organ and broken fingers.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hitsugaya's perpetual scowl deepened as he headed toward the meeting room; the restlessness between the shinigamis was thick in the disturbed and tense air. When a messenger from Liteitai came with Yamamoto's summon for an emergency captaincy meeting, Hitsugaya had almost not been surprised.

Almost.

It had been nearly a week since the last murder and the twisted killer had struck again last night. What made the tenth division captain even more worried was that the Captain-Commander had called for them via Liteitai rather than the usual method of using hell butterflies. The special messengers were usually reserved for Class 1 priority messages or during wartimes when messages needed to be delivered in a more secure manner. In any case, a sudden call by Liteitai for whatever reason was never good news. Quickening his steps, Hitsugaya had just entered the first division building when he heard someone calling him.

"Hitsugaya taichou!"

Hitsugaya stopped and turned around, finding himself face-to-face with Hisagi Shuuhei. The ninth division captain was wearing a full-length sleeved haori like Ukitake to protect himself from the cold wintry air but in the brief flapping of the top clothes, Hitsugaya could see that his shihakshou was sleeveless as usual.

"Hisagi."

"Hitsugaya taichou, do you know why sotaichou has called us by Liteitai?"

Hitsugaya shook his head and took off again once Hisagi had caught up with him. They walked

past a number of shinigamis who bowed deeply, quickly sidestepping to let the two hurried captains through, and soon arrived at the meeting room. The meeting started almost immediately as all the captains had responded to the abrupt call in a swift manner. The air was heavy, the room silent save the quiet coughs from Ukitake; his illness always worsened when the weather turned chilly. Yamamoto's stern gaze swept across the faces of the twelve captains in front of him before he hit the wooden floor with the end of his cane.

"Thank you for responding to my sudden invitation so quickly. Now we shall begin the captaincy meeting. We have a fifth victim on our hands, Ayame Mitsukuni from the third division."

Everyone's eyes fell on the ex-spy briefly before returning to the Captain-Commander; the third division captain had the trademark smile on his face as usual and nothing could be read behind the sneaky grin.

"Unohana taichou has been carrying out the post-mortem all morning and has informed me with news that changes the situation drastically. Unohana taichou."

"Hai. In the past four victims, I had noticed that the trace of reiatsu left at the neck wounds has been getting stronger. I do not know why. However in the last victim, the reiatsu increased significantly and after trying to match it to the samples I have collected, I have come to a conclusion it does not seem to belong to anyone in Seireitei."

"!!!"

Everyone with the exception of Yamamoto and Soi Fon looked at the medical shinigami with wide eyes. It was a scenario no one had even thought of. Ukitake stifled another cough as he frowned and cautiously put forward a question that all the captains were thinking of.

"I do not mean to doubt your ability, Unohana taichou, but… how is that possible?"

Unohana's face remained in a gentle smile.

"It's okay, Ukitake taichou, I find it hard to believe myself. The reiatsu remains somewhat hazy so far with no clear, distinctive traits, so I will not put aside the possibility of the culprit being a shinigami completely for now. However we need to find out if we are really out of any danger from enemies outside Seireitei. If there are unknown outsiders involved in these murders, it means they have somehow managed to infiltrate into Seireitei by some other means than Senkaimon without setting off any alerts."

Hitsugaya scowled, keeping his emerald eyes locked on the medical shinigami. The implication of her words was grave. Oddly enough, it was Kurotsuchi who piped up at the news.

"How is that possible? I don't need to explain about the barrier we have around Seireitei from Sekkiseki (AN: Bloodthirst stone), do I?"

The forth division captain stayed calm and quiet in spite of the rather insulting comment from her comrade but the sharp-eyed prodigy noticed her smile was a little more restrained than before.

"Of course not. However that is the only logical theory."

"It is NOT possible!"

"SILENCE!"

Kurotsuchi visibly flinched at Yamamoto's booming voice, earning himself a snicker from Zaraki. No one else cared about the experiment-obsessed captain as they focused on the Captain-Commander, waiting for his order.

"Unohana taichou has not ruled out the possibility of the killer being one of our own shinigamis yet but if someone has indeed found a way to enter Seireitei in such a way, the consequences will be severe and it is not a chance we should take. There has been an increase in Hollow attacks in the real world and although there has been no evidence to suggest the Hollows are being manipulated, the timing roughly coincides with when the murders started. Hitsugaya taichou."

Hitsugaya answered straight away with his usual impassive face although internally, he was somewhat startled by the sudden call.

"Hai."

"You will join the investigation team. I cannot allow it to be fully open until it is confirmed for sure that no shinigamis are involved in this but if there is even a possibility that an unknown force has intruded Seireitei, it cannot be overlooked until confirmed otherwise. You are to look for any possible parties that may be responsible. Soi Fon taichou will brief you on the progress the team has made so far but understand that she may not be able to tell you some parts of her inquiry."

"Hai."

The prodigy was not all too surprised with the order; in Gotei 13, there was no division officially stated to be the investigation department, but because of his sharp eyes and high analytical skills, the job was often given to Hitsugaya, the duty frequently sending him to the frontline of a battle, such as the one with Arrancars.

Yamamoto's eyes were solemn as they stared into a pair of determined emerald ones, his tone lower and if possible, even more serious than before.

"I trust that you will remember the fact that the internal investigation is still going on."

The old Captain-Commander did not say anything else on the matter but Hitsugaya understood what he meant.

"Hai."

In short, I have to be careful what I tell to whom, Hitsugaya thought to himself. His choices in who to deploy on his behalf would be very limited and he would also have to make sure he was the only one who read all of the individual reports so that even if there was any leak from someone, it would not jeopardise the whole investigation. The white eyebrows knitted a little further from their usual places; this was going to be one very broken inquiry at least until Unohana confirmed the identity of the mysterious reiatsu.

Hitsugaya had already started to go through the list of names in his head when Yamamoto's growly voice rang throughout the silent room again.

"Every taichou is to stay alert and watch out for any signs of anomaly. The patrols will now take place every hour and the new rotation will be sent out to all divisions sometime today. Increase the night guards at each of your divisions and station some more shinigamis near the four Gates that lead to Rukongai as a precautionary measure."

"Hai!"

"Given the circumstance, Hitsugaya taichou will have full authority over the external investigation which is to remain unknown to those outside of this room at this moment except those who will be involved in it. I expect there to be no hindrance from any of you in either of the inquests. That will be all for now. Dismissed."

Kurotsuchi grumbled under his breath that it was simply not possible for anyone to enter Seireitei by any other means than Senkaimon without setting the alert off but all the other captains remained silent, lost in their own thoughts about what had been discussed in the meeting. Hitsugaya remained in his place, wondering if it was a good decision to keep his own inquiry discreet. In the event that the killer was in fact a shinigami, the news of an external investigation might cause carelessness in the future homicides; however, if Seireitei was facing an unknown force outside of their walls, the concealment might allow Hitsugaya's team an easier access to the culprits while it looked like Gotei 13 still did not expect any foreign involvement.

The prodigy sighed quietly; either way, they would lose something. Since the internal investigation was already well-known within Seireitei, perhaps it was a good idea to be silent about the soon-to-be-started investigation.

"Hitsugaya taichou, if you do not have any important business, we can discuss the case right now in my office."

Hitsugaya was almost startled at the sudden voice interrupting his thoughts; he had not noticed Soi Fon approaching him. His surprise well masked behind his usual frown, he nodded at the petite but fierce Chinese and followed her out of the meeting room, joined by Unohana. For a moment, the small captain wondered if his uneasy feeling about these murders had been because he perceived them as an omen of another war.

Whatever the case was, now that he was involved in the investigation, Hitsugaya was going to get to the bottom of it.

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It was another few hours before Hitsugaya left Soi Fon's office, processing a bunch of information he had just received in his head. Just the briefing on the murders had taken a while although it didn't reveal much, of which he was rather disappointed, but at the same time, allowed him to comprehend the true depth of difficulty Soi Fon's team had been facing. After that, the three captains had discussed a variety of different theories and suspects until they were reminded of time and had to wrap up the conversation.

Hitsugaya could now understand the second division captain's frustration; with no connection and no pattern, the case was of utter irregularity and mysteriousness. However if it had truly been an outsider's work, the victims were most likely to have been targeted at random. Why the bodies had to be mutilated in such a way remained incomprehensible but it would presumably be explained once he or Soi Fon found out the identity of the murderer.

Nevertheless, it was hard to ignore the odds that the killer would be a shinigami. How on earth

could someone get through the Sekkiseki barrier without causing explosions and intruder alerts like Kurosaki and his friends? Hitsugaya did not doubt Kurotsuchi was devouring through his database at this moment, snarling at his artificial daughter who would stand next to him obediently.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he almost missed the administration office of the tenth division; if it hadn't been Matsumoto bursting out of the office, practically shouting in his ear, Hitsugaya would have continued to walk past the office.

"Taichou! You've been gone for so long, I was starting to get worried!"

Hitsugaya instantly scowled at the ringing in his ear, moving out of her arms' reach before she could suffocate him what Kon had called 'the valley of the Gods' -in his opinion, they were 'the valley of the Death'-.

"Where are you going?"

"Nowhere, taichou, I felt your reiatsu so I wanted to greet you!"

"Then get back inside, Matsumoto."

Matsumoto looked at his serious -even more than usual, that is- face curiously before she stepped back in to let the prodigy through. Hitsugaya closed the door behind him and set a barrier around the room. The silvery eyes turned solemn at her captain's action and when Hitsugaya sat down at his desk, the vice-captain was instantly standing next to him, all her bubbly air dissipated in an instant as if someone had just poured a bucket of freezing water over her.

Hitsugaya didn't say anything for a while and Matsumoto waited patiently. It seemed there were many things going through the famed prodigy's head, the white brows tightly knitted and two hands interlocked in front of his face. After a few minutes, Hitsugaya finally turned and looked up at her with stern eyes.

"Matsumoto, what I tell you from now on remains here between us unless you get a specific permission from me _directly_ to do otherwise. Is that understood?"

Matsumoto blinked with surprise. The young captain rarely said such things since if there was something he did not wish others to know, he simply kept it to himself. Nevertheless the buxom shinigami quickly nodded when she realised her captain was looking at her with a raised eyebrow, waiting for her answer; of course, there was only one answer she would give.

"Hai, taichou."

"Get a chair and sit down. This is going to take some time."

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It was indeed some time after Matsumoto had sat down before Hitsugaya finished relaying the news and the relevant -and summarised- facts. The vice-captain now understood the cautionary steps he had taken to ensure no uninvited audience.

"So what's your plan, taichou?"

Hitsugaya leaned back a little, clearing his throat; he hadn't spoken so much in one go for a long time.

"A team needs to be sent to the human realm to investigate the Hollow activity, especially in Karakura, and with sotaichou's permission, another one to Hueco Mundo."

"Hueco Mundo?"

The captain nodded, his usual scowl now gaining a faint glimpse of grimness; that one would take some planning but was necessary to confirm one of his suspicions.

"If this is not a work of a shinigami, in other words, an outsider, who's most likely to want deaths of shinigamis?"

Matsumoto replied in an anxious voice.

"The Hollows who survived the War."

The turquoise eyes lost their focus a little as the prodigy captain started to fall back into his thoughts. Hitsugaya could have millions of things in his mind but was always able to speak out the relevant facts in a logical manner even if that was not how the thoughts were stacked up in his head. That distant look was something that adorned the frosty captain's face whenever he was searching for what he wanted in the sea of the knowledge and thoughts.

"As far as we know, no Vasto Lordes escaped the War alive, at least the ones under Aizen. A number of Adjukases had run away but sotaichou hadn't thought they would be any significant threat with no one to order them. It could be leftover Adjukases with some sort of last revilement or a new Vasto Lorde trying to follow Aizen's footstep to get rid of shinigamis. Aizen had certainly shown them that it was feasible."

The frown was of disgust and concern when Hitsugaya practically spat out the last words but Matsumoto's face showed confusion instead.

"But taichou… Why kill all those low-rank shinigamis if that's the case? Wouldn't they have just invaded Soul Society or do something else more threatening?"

Hitsugaya had thought about that as well and although he couldn't get any firm answer on the

question, he had a theory. It was, of course, under the assumption that it was Hollows behind these murders.

"We are either facing a very sloppy work from some rogue Menoses or a very clever one who has some unknown intention behind the murders. After all, they had managed to prevent the focus of the investigation turning outside of Seireitei until now. However it's only a theory, we cannot overlook anything."

Matsumoto nodded with a grimace across her delicate feature; really, one War had been more than enough and too many hearts were already broken and tattered including many of her friends, not to mention her own captain. The strawberry-blonde shinigami sincerely hoped they would not find any serious threats and the ordeal would be over soon. Then she remembered the other part of her captain's answer and asked again.

"What about Karakura? Is it because Ichigo's there?"

She had mentioned the substitute shinigami to lighten up the heavy air a bit but was surprised with Hitsugaya's straight-faced reply. She didn't even get a tinge of pink; what a disappointment, Matsumoto thought to herself. It seemed her captain was deeply immersed in the case already, despite having received the order only a few hours ago.

"There is a chance that these attacks concern revenge, either for their loss of power or Aizen's death itself. If vengeance is their cause, Kurosaki may be another target of theirs since he and I were the ones who killed Aizen, which ultimately led to the degeneration of Arrancars."

Then Hitsugaya realised there was someone else that was involved in bringing Aizen's demise. It was true that he and his lover had done most of the work but the final blow had been delivered by someone else.

"I guess that might include Kuchiki taichou as well although I wouldn't put it past him to have already thought out this much on his own when an outsider's involvement was suspected."

Matsumoto nodded; Kuchiki Byakuya was definitely one of the finest Gotei 13 had ever seen in its history and with his capability and the impenetrable coolness, he might have been the one to be called a prodigy -after all, he was the strongest leader of one of the Great Four Noble, Kuchiki clan- if it had not been the young master of Hyourinmaru sitting in front of her. Briefly she wondered if one of the necessary requirements for a prodigy was being as aloof as one -un-realistically can be but her musing was interrupted by the said white-haired tendo.

"The increase in Hollow attacks may not be coincidental although for now, everything remains as a possibility. Nothing should be taken for granted."

With Hitsugaya having thought out pretty much everything, there was nothing else for the vice-captain to do but nod, when she suddenly realised something.

"Taichou, that means you might be targeted as well!"

Hitsugaya did not admit nor deny it; he would be one of the main targets _if_ it was revenge for the dead defector but the idea seemed somewhat absurd. Would the ex-Arrancars have such things as honour and loyalty? However, for their lost power, maybe; to Hollows, power was what mattered and the taste of the ultimate strength as Arrancars would have been intoxicating. Nevertheless, they would be Adjukases and with their number significantly decreased, it would be almost suicidal to launch attacks on Gotei 13 that had now more or less fully recovered.

Maybe that was why they turned to assassination instead of launching a full front attack. On the other hand, if there was no vengeance involved, then he wasn't going to be the only one that caught the enemy's eyes as a big threat. The number of Vasto Lordes has never been clear and there was no way for Soul Society to know if Aizen had had all of them under his command at the time of the War.

"But taichou, who are you thinking of sending out? We are a bit restricted in our choices, aren't we?"

"Soi Fon taichou has offered her force for collecting information on Hollows in the human world. Kurosaki and his friends can deal with the attacks anyway, so there is no need to send any more battle-fit shinigamis to the area unless necessary. The problem is the teams that will be sent to Hueco Mundo."

"Teams? You are sending more than one?"

The captain's answers were simple, direct and swift. Even if Matsumoto was fully aware of his praised talent, the absolute concentration and the speed of calculations that the famed prodigy displayed when he put his gifts in full use were still amazing.

"Perhaps. Anyway, that's it for now on the case. Remember the internal investigation is still ongoing so act appropriately."

"Of course, taichou."

Sensing the end of the long discussion, Matsumoto stood up from her chair; she had been sitting down for so long that her butt had gone to sleep and with so much information presented to her at once, her head was dully throbbing. She was just twisting and stretching her stiff back when she remembered that she was keeping something in her shihakshou for the frowning captain.

"Before I forget, taichou, a letter came for you from Ichigo while you were away."

Hitsugaya took the white envelope from his vice-captain's outstretched hand, promptly ignoring her wide cheeky grin.

"Go to Yamamoto sotaichou and ask for permission to enter Hueco Mundo when the teams have been put together."

"Hai."

Matsumoto giggled behind her hand and answered in a sing-song voice; it was an order that she had seen it on the way but it was also to probably shoo her out of the office so that the wintry captain could read his _love letter_ -she giggled again at the thought- in private. The buxom woman would have usually stuck around a little more to tease the prickly prodigy but this time she decided to give a bit of time for Hitsugaya to relax after all that intense brainwork even if it did not look like the said genius was taxed by it.

Hitsugaya lifted the barrier and Matsumoto bounced out of the room, waving cheerfully at someone she had noticed outside as she closed the door behind her. The icy captain looked at the letter in his hand and the paperwork sitting in front of him which seemed to have gained several inches while he was away then decided to read the letter first. It would certainly take less time to do that than to attempt to conquer Mt. Paper Everest.

'Toshiro,

I've moved back to the clinic now, Karin's going to the camp thing in two days. Pop tried to torpedo me as soon as I got in but it's good to be with my family again. Kon's freaking out though, he's got bad memories with Yuzu.

Pop's closing the clinic early on Xmas so I'll come over in the afternoon and bring your birthday presents. Everyone wants to know if you liked them and they won't know till you see them, right? I'll have to go back in the evening though. Yuzu's planning this massive Xmas dinner thing since I didn't see them whole winter last year.

I'll see you on Xmas, then.

Ichigo

PS I just asked Pop about New Year, he says it's the usual stuff. I was hoping you could come and join us, the old man says it's fine. Yuzu asked how you were doing as well.

And hey, you never told me you've met Karin before! She told me you helped her out in a football game and how you kicked ass! So did you enjoy playing football for the first time in your life, with elementary kids no less? Anyway Karin wants to see you again as well. And obviously I want to spend New Year with you. Try to come if you can, okay? There's something I want to do and I need you with me to do that.'

Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow at the last line; what did Kurosaki mean by that? And it was not that he didn't tell him about Karin on purpose, he had simply forgotten about the brief encounter he had with the teen's sister amidst all the Arrancar attacks, trying to stay afloat above the fierce battles. His first fight with Shawlong Qufang did most definitely not go well and it had been all thanks to Inoue Orihime that he was back on his feet again in no time. The prodigy groaned inwardly though; the strawberry had to find out that he had played football out of all things.

Checking the calendar that seemed to pop up on his desk whenever he received a letter from Kurosaki, the small captain sighed with a frown, not of annoyance but of regret. With the murder investigation on top of his usual work amount, it was unlikely that Hitsugaya could afford a day at the human realm again so soon after having spent a night over there only a few days ago; this was something that he could not have Ichimaru -or anyone else- cover for him.

Kurosaki was not going to like this news or the other one, as a matter of fact. Who would like to hear that he might have become a target of revenge from Menoses?

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_Silvery clouds glided across the black sky that seemed to have been deserted even by the stars that used to be sprinkled over the dark canvas. A pair of blank but pained eyes stared out of the open window at the sky that remained oblivious to what was going on in the room. Only sheer emptiness ran through the broken mind but it didn't seem to matter to the other one, whose face was hidden in the shadow, sitting up in a half-inclined position a few steps away from the one spread out on the floor. _

_A quiet humming echoed around the silent room. The melody was soothing and calm but there was heartbreaking sadness as if it spoke of love that was not returned yet impossible to give up because it made one feel so happy, but not without incomprehensible pain. It was a relatively short tune and there was a small intake of air before the figure repeated it over and over again. It was a while before a quiet, raspy voice broke the continuing music._

"…_Stop."_

_The humming stopped, replaced by soft chuckles._

"_It's a nice piece of music, don't you think?"_

"…_Stop."_

_Another quiet laughter penetrated the still air._

"_You are distressed. I'm only helping you to relax."_

_It was apparent that it was the presence of the humming figure that troubled the other but the chuckling one appeared to be oblivious to it. Or perhaps the figure was simply pretending not to have noticed the obvious. This time, the raspy voice gained slightly more volume with angered irritation._

"…_Stop."_

_Only that it was to no avail for the humming started again, this time sounding much closer than before. _

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Ulquoirra was in his room by himself, blankly staring into the air when he heard a knock on his door. It was pretty late at night and he wasn't expecting any visitors but he had an idea as to who it might be.

"Come in."

He wasn't surprised when Nelliel walked in through the door; she was the only Menos who would come to Ulquoirra's room at this time of the night or any other time of the day for that matter. The green eye noticed the weariness emanating from the beautiful woman, lack of sleep evident in her dreamy eyes, but he did not say anything about it. He was not the type to worry about others for any personal reason and the trait had gone from bad to worse since Aizen's demise.

"What is it?"

Nelliel sighed quietly and tucked the wavy hair behind her ears, her shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Ulquoirra, we might have to change the way the bracelet works. I don't think I can make an exact replica of the original one."

"………"

"But I think I can make ones that would definitely work with all the abilities we want if we have a separate machine as the source of the power for the barrier."

"………"

Ulquoirra didn't say anything but then Nelliel hadn't expected to hear anything either. She just hoped that he would understand the level of effort she had put in, which was everything she

could give, but all these R&Ds were not her strongest area and it was the best she could come up with. The melancholy Vasto Lorde's face did not show any change and Nelliel continued on.

"Of course, that means the bracelets will work within Hueco Mundo where the signals can reach…"

"Will they work as long as signals reach them?"

Nelliel blinked at the sudden interruption, not because she was offended but because she was surprised. She had expected Ulquoirra to tell her to insist on producing the ones that he wanted, not what he had to be happy with. Even though everything about life stayed out of Ulquoirra's interest, he was quite insistent when it came to his plans for avenging Aizen.

"Yes but Ulquoirra, for that, you would need to have a garganta opened the entire time so that there's a passage that the signal can travel through to the other realm. It's too dangerous."

How stoic the chalk-white face remained was sometimes rather frightening; there was no joy or disappointment or anything, whatever news Nelliel brought to him.

"I see."

The gentle feature morphed into a slight frown but Ulquoirra fell back into silence, wordlessly telling her to complete her report.

"I think I can maximise the distance for them as well if we have a powerful enough machine supporting it."

"Fine."

The pale eyes blinked again; the swift answer had not been expected and the sudden change in

his attitude had stunned her. Nelliel had a vague idea as to what Ulquoirra's plan was and limiting the bracelets' ability to Hueco Mundo was going to rattle it from the base of it. However, the other did not seem fazed by her reaction, his hand shoved in a pocket that no doubt held the precious silver bracelet inside.

"How long will it take?"

Still rather bewildered at how easily Ulquoirra had succumbed to the situation, Nelliel searched for an answer at the question she had almost missed.

"I cannot say for sure yet, but I guess it will be easier than trying to crack all the technical details of the original one. I'm not saying the new ones will be easy to make but I have higher chance of succeeding in that method. It might still take awhile."

"Work on it but see if you can reproduce originals."

Nelliel nodded, happy with the reaction she got; honestly, it was much better than what she had expected. It would be hard to tell with the deadpan voice of Ulquoirra anyway, but it sounded to her as if he wasn't even mildly irritated by her failure report. The ram-woman had just turned around to leave the room when the stoic Vasto Lorde's toneless voice stopped her.

"Nelliel, go and sleep. You are the only one who knows these technical things; it will be troublesome if you push yourself over the limit."

Nelliel looked over her shoulder, wavy dull cerulean hair falling over her shoulder. She knew it was not a personal attention from Ulquoirra, that what he was concerned about was losing the all important main researcher in the group, which would jeopardize his plan big time. Nevertheless, her pale brown eyes sparkled at Ulquoirra's deadpan face and she smiled.

"Then I'll just take a few hours off."

When he nodded, Nelliel bid good-night and left the room. She closed the door behind her and stared at it for a moment before she smiled and walked off to her own room, her heavy eyelids already drooping down as sleep threatened to take over her at any minute. After a few hours of sleep, she would feel much more refreshed and her brains clear for the new project.

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A pair of turquoise eyes suddenly shot open in the bleak darkness, their gaze unfocused and hazy. It took a while for the white-haired captain to realise that he was in his office and had fallen asleep on his desk yet again while he was contemplating on who to send to Hueco Mundo.

Gingerly pushing himself off the desk, Hitsugaya blinked a few times in confusion and growled. He thought he had a dream but now, he couldn't remember anything except one thing. He placed a hand over his forehead as he leaned on the desk.

It was someone whispering, so desperate and broken that it almost scared Hitsugaya. It seemed that the pleading was what woke him up but he couldn't remember anything else from his dream that left him more disturbed than he would like to admit, although why, Hitsugaya could not imagine since he forgot about it as soon as he opened his eyes. Muttering a curse under his breath, Hitsugaya stood up from the desk and left the office.

He wondered if he had dreamt of Hinamori again; sometimes his nightmares were not about the time he had killed her. Now and then it would be their childhood memories, twisted and distorted, and at times, it would be Hinamori crying as he watched her helplessly, bound to his place by some invisible restraints; he had even dreamt of Hinamori killing him instead of him killing her, although it seldom happened. Those rare ones were the ones he preferred, in fact. After all, he could take _his_ blood and the feel of her zanpaktou piercing him much better than _her_ blood and the feel of his zanpaktou piercing her.

Hitsugaya bitterly scoffed; you are such a hypocrite, Hitsugaya Toshiro, _you_ are the one who killed her. There was a familiar pang of pain in his heavy chest but the only sign the prodigy gave was a small sigh.

A quick walk found Hitsugaya at the stone bridge that led to his quarter for the first time since Ichigo's last visit. There was an overpowering silence in the air as the black, midnight wings embraced slumbering Seireitei and he stood at the bridge for a while as he looked down at the perfectly still pond below it. His sea-green eyes fell on some lotus flowers that had blossomed on the pond and he wondered if he had seen them last time he crossed the bridge. It seemed that sometime since then, the beautiful flower had finally woken up from its long sleep to grace the rather bare pond with its pastel pink petals that glowed mysteriously in the silvery moonlight.

Hitsugaya spent a few minutes on the bridge in the crisp, cold air, his emerald eyes fixed on the lotus flowers, melting into the serenity of the moment. Slowly, the swirling emotions and the discomfort started to scatter and his heartbeat returned to its normal, regular rhythm, gently pumping the essence of life around his body. The pain, the sadness, and the guilt would not be leaving him any time soon but with time, he was learning how to pull himself together when he had been shattered with the grim flashbacks.

Casting one last look at the beautiful, elegant flowers, Hitsugaya turned around and went over to his quarter. He found his bedroom cleaned, the futons laid out on the tatami floor. Once in a blue moon, Hitsugaya would come back to his quarter in the dead of night like this so the servants always prepared his bedroom before they went to sleep and checked the room in the morning just in case. Feeling grateful for their effort which, more often than not, went wasted, Hitsugaya quickly changed into a soft, white yukata from his shihakshou and got under the comforter.

Perhaps a proper sleep in his bedroom might allow him uninterrupted rest.

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Hitsugaya frowned, although considering his perpetual scowl, it wasn't saying much. However Soi Fon could sense the disgust emanating faintly from the prodigy at the scene in front of them.

Hitsugaya's rare return to the quarter had not lasted long although thankfully, the rest of the sleep was dreamless and peaceful. It was still rather early in the morning when Haru announced

that an emergency message had arrived for him from Soi Fon; there had been another murder, this time, in the Northern District for the first time.

As soon as he got the message, Hitsugaya got freshened up and shunpoed out of his place to the scene and was greeted with what he could safely say one of the most grisly scenes he had set his eyes on and considering the time he had spent in various battles and the injuries he had received, that was saying something. The body was not chopped up into bits nor was it drenched in blood but the ominous way the broken fingers stuck out of the opened mouth was distressing enough.

He had heard about the bizarre presentation that the killer always left behind but it was the first time that he had actually seen it for himself. The body was more perturbing than he had imagined although as Soi Fon had mentioned before, there was surprisingly little blood despite all the mutilation the victim had gone through. He was not sure whether he should think of the after-death maiming as a humane streak of the warped killer or a clever carefulness not to attract any unwanted attention during the process.

There was a restricted zone being set around the crime scene by Onmitsukidou under Soi Fon's order and Hitsugaya crouched next to the body, trying to get a closer look. There was thick blood dripping from the gaping slit on the neck onto the ground where a small pool of the red fluid was half-frozen to slush state in the frosty morning temperature. After scanning the body once more, Hitsugaya placed his hand just above the fatal wound, trying to sense the reiatsu that lingered faintly.

Soi Fon had just finished instructing her subordinates to investigate the area when she noticed the prodigy next to the victim and came over but her fellow captain remained focused on the body. She gave Hitsugaya a few seconds as she watched him then called him when he took his hand away with a somewhat tense expression.

"Hitsugaya taichou."

Hitsugaya almost jumped at the voice from behind him; Soi Fon was a master at hiding her reiatsu due to her guard training but that was not the only reason he had not felt her approaching him.

It was the reiatsu from the victim. It was hard to tell because not much was left behind but he was not sure if he could classify it as belonging to Hollow's. He now understood the confusing conclusion Unohana had made after her screening. She must have sensed this little oddity in the vanishing reiatsu as well. Furthermore, there was certain discomfort welling up inside him from the mysterious reiatsu and his gaze swept over the body from top to bottom again, his eyebrows deeply furrowed. It was like when he had heard about the murders. Something was not right.

Soi Fon glanced at the body behind the prodigy when she noticed the look on Hitsugaya's face. It was hard to tell exactly what it was but then it was also the first time he saw the level of the brutal attack. However the scrunched face soon turned impassive as the white-haired captain stood up and turned around to greet her.

"Soi Fon taichou, thank you for alerting me. Who is the victim?"

Soi Fon did not look too happy as she answered the question.

"11th division 14th Seat, Hanajima Akito. He was part of a guard team but apparently he had cut it short because he was 'tired' and 'nothing would happen'. 12th Seat, Kuragi Manabe, was on the early morning rotation so came over when it was time for him to take over and found him in front of his house like this."

"He negates his duty for an extra hour of sleep and gets killed."

Hitsugaya muttered as he sighed. The street was still relatively empty as it was at least another hour before the normal work hour started and there was misty fog in the area that had descended down to the ground over the chilly night.

"Where is Unohana taichou?"

"We've sent her a message too so she should be on her way."

"Has Zaraki taichou been informed?"

Hitsugaya was sure he heard something of a snort from the Chinese captain.

"Yes, but I doubt if he will care much. Unohana taichou will send post-mortem reports to you when she finishes. How about your teams?"

The emerald eyes finally left the mutilated body as he stood up from his place, taking the time to think about the question for a while before he shook his head.

"I do have some in my mind but they have not been informed yet. I do not doubt they will take the mission but I still need to confirm it with them."

"Of course. I have already put a few of Onmitsukidou aside to assist you with the information gathering in the real world. They have all been instructed to report any findings to you directly."

"I appreciate your help, Soi Fon taichou."

"It is my job. If you will excuse me now."

With that, Soi Fon returned to her subordinates, herself entering the house just behind the victim in the hope of uncovering any clues. Seeing that there was nothing else for him to do, Hitsugaya decided to leave the scene and go back to his division. He would have to move fast with his own investigation if they did not want to see any more of the mutilated bodies.


	10. Birthday presents Part I

**Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos [#09/?]**  
**Chapter rating**: PG  
**Chapter specific warning**: None  
**Chapter specific spoiler**: None

**Chapter summary**: Ichigo pops into the tenth division with a long due delivery and Ulquoirra's search goes on undeterred.

**Author's Note:  
****  
-Important- -- The last part of Chapter 8 has been changed so please read it again. **Also, you will notice that the preview I had once added is gone. There have been a few changes -Ch9 and onwards had all been re-written too many times to be counted- and that part has now been postponed to Ch10.

PS. I thank every single one of you that waited ever so patiently for update. I cannot express my gratitude enough in words. From now on, _Orderly Madness_ is back, riding high. I hope the future chapters including this one will not disappoint you, so I'd love to hear what you think… in the other words, REVIEWS PLZ!!!

PPS. There had been a few requests for omakes like _Empathy_. I had thought about it from the beginning but given the genres of _Orderly Madness_, I decided that it would be better to drop them for this fiction. However, I have another storyline in plan and I promise that you will have your omakes back for my third multi-chapter story. Whenever that's going to happen, that is. -sigh-

* * *

  
**:::::Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos by Kanon Ch.9::::: _Birthday presents Part I_  


* * *

  
**Still nothing. Was it truly an impossible task as Nelliel had said? With a nod, Ulquoirra sent away the two Adjuchases that had come to report about their search, his frustration hidden behind the impeccable mask. Left alone in the small, derelict room, Ulquoirra could not help but rethink about the sheer size of Hueco Mundo that was proving to be one major obstacle. Just then, a soft knock on the door prevented him from marvelling any further on the idea.

"It's me, Ulquoirra."

Nelliel slowly opened the door, watching the backs of the two Hollows walking away; silence was as good as any invitation when it came to Ulquoirra. She knew what their mission had been but as expected, it was impossible to guess what result they had yielded from the stoic face. So, just like any other times, she started the conversation.

"How was it this time?"

"Nothing."

The single word was deadpan as usual and Nelliel offered a comforting smile with a faint hint of something that could be labelled as either bitterness or sadness, or perhaps, even both. She had hoped against all odds that one day, she could see something other than the still mask that could pass as dead, but every time they met and talked, it only served to make her realise that her hope was only a sweet illusion.

"...He must have hidden well."

It was not quite what she had wanted to say but the veiled meaning had been passed on nevertheless and the green eye slowly moved from the opposite wall it had been invisibly drilling a hole through to the pale brown ones.

"Or simply far away."

"...Maybe."

She had lost her count on how many searches had taken place to find the one man supposedly still standing out of the three shinigamis that had come to Hueco Mundo, bearing a gift that she could not completely call a blessed one even now. The news of Aizen and Tousen's deaths were widespread and confirmed by many, which left Ichimaru Gin from the three ex-Arrancars' leaders. However his whereabouts were of a complete mystery and since the War, Ulquoirra had never given up looking for the silver-haired shinigami.

Nelliel had not stayed at Las Noches as long as Ulquoirra but she remembered the sly-smiling man quite clearly. One very peculiar individual he had been. No one, not even his fellow shinigamis, had been able to read what was going on behind that sneaky smile he always wore.

His almost childish behaviours and indecipherable and fatal friendliness had normally kept the Arrancars a good distance away from him but actually, Nelliel had preferred him to the other ex- captains. His mysteriousness was no secret and the plain visibility of it was better than the fake kindness Aizen graced them with or the blinding obsession with justice that Tousen forced upon them. Ichimaru never tried to sway them one way or the other. He never rose to the surface but he was always there, behind Aizen with his garnet eyes hidden behind their curves.

However, as far as she knew, Ulquoirra had never been particularly fond of his master's right hand man, just like other Espadas, because there was always that distance Ichimaru kept from them with something that could not be pinpointed. It had soon become an everyday thing to find the silver-haired shinigami wondering around Las Noches on his own, doing some random things that Arrancars could not understand. Aizen had never restricted Ichimaru to Las Noches nor to any missions, and as if in return, the ex third division captain always found a way to make things more interesting, much to Aizen's pleasure.

Most of all, Ichimaru was a powerful shinigami who had left everything behind to follow Aizen and regardless of his personal preferences, that alone was enough of a reason for Ulquoirra to find him. The potential that would come with reuniting with the silver-haired shinigami was going to be priceless.

It was no surprise when the initial reiatsu search had come back blank. It would take more than a senile fool to let shinigami reiatsu loose in Hueco Mundo that had lost its ultimate ruler. Now in this realm, Ichimaru was nothing more than a rogue shinigami that Hollows would drool for and with Las Noches destroyed and the army of Arrancars turned to nothing more than dust, the ex-captain was probably exposed to more dangers than he had ever encountered in his long life. It was not only the shinigami's situation that made the search even more difficult. Ulquoirra was intentionally keeping a very low profile and it was absolutely necessary to keep it so even if it meant horribly slow progress in looking for Ichimaru in this vast realm.

It would be a lie if Ulquoirra had never considered the possibility that Ichimaru might be in fact dead like Tousen and Aizen, his thin body now buried under the thick sands, but for some reason, he could not quite imagine the fox-faced shinigami kicking the bucket so simply and quietly. Despite his childlike images unbefitting his rank, Ichimaru was clever and sneaky, if nothing else. If anyone had found a way to escape the War alive after Aizen's demise, it would be him.

"How far out did they manage to look for this time?"

Nelliel did not try to persuade Ulquoirra to call off the search that had provided no clues as to Ichimaru's whereabouts so far. In fact, she had given up on it a long time ago. For months it had gone on until now and nothing except the discovery of the fox-faced shinigami was going to stop it.

"Most of east and south areas are covered."

"Well, maybe you can send Kazana out next time, he's getting really edgy. He's getting bored of thesurrounding areas here and he might do something irrational if it goes on."

Ulquoirra would have grimaced if he knew how to. Kazana was a ball that was impossible to tell where it would bounce to next time. Nelliel gazed at Ulquoirra with a small smile for confirmation and received a curt nod from the silent man. There was an inaudible sigh from Nelliel but Ulquoirra did not give any sign of having noticed it and the hooves clucked on the stone floor as the beautiful half-ram turned to leave.

"I just came to warn you about it. Good luck with the next search."

Ulquoirra watched impassively as Nelliel gave into a tired yawn just before closing the door behind her, presumably going off for a break from her lengthy work, and after a few seconds, also walked out of the plain room. After months, only half of Hueco Mundo was left and perhaps, Kazana did need to let out some steam. It was most likely going to take another few months to complete his search for the garnet-eyed shinigami but ashurried as he was, he also had patience that matched his needs.

Patiently, painstakingly, he would take all the cautions and preparations with all the time he had and when the time came after the never ending wait, his revenge would be sweeter than ambrosia and nectars.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

That day, one Matsumoto Rangiku happened to be lounging about in the empty administration office on her own. It was a nice day for the chilly season that still embraced Seireitei. The sky was clear blue and warm sunlight poured into the office through the open window, toasting the frigid air cosily. It was not often that the tenth division office was somewhat habitable in winter for those who did not wield the strongest ice-snow type zanpaktou and Matsumoto was plastered on her usual couch in a perfect position to simply close her eyes and take off to the dreamland. It was not as if she was planning to reduce the new record height the papers had achieved anyway.

After staring at the bare ceiling for a minute, Matsumoto stretched her arms, contemplating skipping the rest of the day before Hitsugaya returned. The said captain had left the division a while ago and frankly, she doubted if he would even be surprised to find her gone; irate, yes, but surprised? Most likely not.

With her mind made up, Matsumoto jumped down from the couch and bounced across the room with a cheeky grin, already mentally counting off those that she would drag out of their boring duties. However just when her hand reached out for the door, it slid open by itself without any warning and she jumped with a yelp, mostly out of guilt. And she was not the only one who was taken aback by the sudden presence of the other.

"Eek!!"

"Whoa! Rangiku-san?"

On the other side of the door, looking just as startled as herself, was none other than Kurosaki Ichigo with a big black bag in his hand. Matsumoto quickly recovered from the shock, sliding her hands down her huge bust. Ever since Ichigo had learnt to conceal his reiatsu, her captain was not the only victim of the teen's abrupt appearance.

"Ichigo! What are you doing here?"

Ichigo chuckled at the perplexed question. Today was Christmas but unsurprisingly, the vice captain was not aware of his planned visit in the afternoon. Hitsugaya was always ever so careful with such information around Matsumoto to avoid the follow-up teasing and squealing as much as possible, not to mention the potential suffocation in certain someone's huge valley of death.

"I've got his birthday presents he left behind."

"So he _finally_ gets to see them."

Matsumoto rolled her eyes exasperatedly, her hands on her curvaceous hips. However the thought of her present for her cute little captain brought an atypical smirk on her face and Ichigo looked at the jovial woman warily, wondering exactly what was in his bag at this moment. He did not want to meet the infamous wrath of his temperamental dragon because of some prank Rangiku had planted. Then he finally realised that the office was empty of one snowball and raised an eyebrow.

"So there are times that Toshiro is actually out of the office?"

"I'm not a hermit."

There was the ever familiar, irritated voice in perfect timing from behind and Ichigo whipped around to find himself in a way of hundreds of fatal daggers that a pair of large turquoise eyes was shooting. Deftly bypassing them with a playful smile, Ichigo raised his free hand.

"Yo, Toshiro."

Hitsugaya groaned at the huge grin Ichigo flashed and pushed him into his office without a word. One hand still on sheathed Zangetsu with not-so-ignorable force, Hitsugaya had just closed the door behind him and looked up with a scowl when he suddenly found himself in the arms of one idiotic Kurosaki Ichigo and before he could even splutter, there was a flitting touch of warm lips on his cheek, much to his chagrin.

"Kurosaki!!"

Ichigo chuckled at the crimson-coloured face and shrugged nonchalantly with a mischievous wink at Rangiku.

"Just saying hi. You don't have problem with it, do you, Rangiku-san?"

"Of course not!"

However their chortles were quickly stifled when the room temperature started to drop palpably. Hitsugaya gave one last glare at the teen before he moved to his desk. _Moron_, he thought to himself. Kurosaki clearly did not know the full extent of what he was going to have to cope with later, now that Matsumoto had seen the affectionate greeting.

On the other hand, Ichigo remained unfazed by the obvious display of displeasure and sat down on the edge of the desk. After all, it was just Toshiro being Toshiro which was damn cute. He watched almost hungrily as his lover graciously sat down on his high-back chair in one swift movement, tucking the haori in. Nobody would think that the prodigy was from Rukongai, not with the way he held himself.

"Kurosaki, get off my desk and Matsumoto, get these to the first division."

The vice-captain blinked at the pile of papers Hitsugaya pointed at then at Hitsugaya himself who only gave her the usual scowl. Such tasks were usually for unseated officers and Hitsugaya was more than adequately acquainted with her tendency not to return to the office once she got out of it. _Oh, __rrriiiiigght_. She smiled then picked up the stack casually as if it was her everyday duty with a wink that only made the white eyebrows knit even more.

"Sure, taichou. Ja ne, Ichigo!"

Ichigo waved at the back of the disappearing woman who somehow managed to open and close the door on her own then glanced over at his lover with a raised eyebrow.

"She's not gonna come back, you know."

"Better away than here."

Ichigo chuckled and moved around behind his lover's chair. There was something that no one but he could tell, much to his pleasure, and that was when Toshiro was simply being, well, Toshiro, and when he was genuinely stressed and tense; and today, the situation seemed to be the latter with that tiny, subtle difference in the aura around the white-haired captain and a shaper edge in the reined reiatsu.

Hitsugaya closed his eyes as the callused hands landed on his shoulders and rubbed the taut muscles. He was not sure where Kurosaki had learnt it from but the strawberry certainly had a dab hand at massaging and the soothing rubs worked just as well as the regular heartbeats echoing softly in his ear.

A comfortable silence draped itself over them like still mist in the early morning save a few quiet groans from Hitsugaya that gently puffed it away here and there until Ichigo pulled away the serene cover, his voice of rather badly hidden concern.

"You are way too tense. Feels like planks of woods."

"Usual things."

"Like?"

The snow-topped head made a little roll and Ichigo moved his hands to the slender neck. Toshiro was always a restrained individual but at present, the muscles screamed of something extreme and would not relax easily even under his comforting caresses which seldom failed to achieve their aim.

"Work."

"…And?"

Hitsugaya hesitated to answer. It was uncharacteristic of him but he had his reasons. While Kurosaki was the only one he could -if he was going to- ever confide in about his past disturbed nights, being as observant as he was, it was hard not to notice the teen's dislike for Hinamori. Kurosaki had never said a word but it did not take a genius to guess that much and to know why. The orange-haired teen was never one to forgive those who hurt his precious ones.

Out of many things that Ichigo found despicable of the girl, one thing Hitsugaya knew the teen could not forgive was how oblivious Hinamori had been of the true length that the prodigy went, would have gone for her sake; how easily she had turned his effort into trash. From Ichigo's point of view, the brainwashed girl had never been worth the captain's devoted protection and care.

Nevertheless she had been a good sister until Aizen warped her mind and she had been his only family. _He_ had made the decision to protect her. Hitsugaya did not want to fuel his lover's detest with his own words.

"Nothing."

Hitsugaya grimaced a little at the unsatisfied tone in his lover's voice that followed almost even before the single word had completely left his lips. That fraction of hesitation had already given away the truth. He had hoped that Kurosaki had not noticed it but apparently, his lover was getting better every day at catching his unobvious signs.

"You know I hate it when you do that. Tell me the rest or I might lose my head worrying about you."

Hitsugaya scoffed with a glance over his shoulder at the playful but half-serious chiding and Ichigo smiled sheepishly at the smirking turquoise eyes. Toshiro had yet to -and probably would never - forget the prank they had pulled on him on his birthday.

"That wasn't real though, was it? You should tell me if something's really up."

There was an almost inaudible hiss when the large hands found a tough knot and moved over it ruthlessly. After a few seconds of agonising pain, the tension started to disappear and Hitsugaya relaxed his squared shoulders where the hands returned to, warming them up.

"So? What is it?"

There was another few more seconds of silence before the reply, the words turning into groans in mid-sentence as another knot was found and forced to leave.

"…I just haven't been sleeping well."

Ichigo could not help but frown at the answer, his old memories returning. Insomnia and nightmares had marred the boy's sleep rather severely for some time after the War. Many nights had the teen woken up to find his lover lost in dreadful flashbacks or staring out of the window and the mental recovery had been expectedly slow. Thankfully, things had improved a great deal in the last month before Toshiro had to return to Soul Society but there were still odd dreams that came back once in a while to haunt him. However there was nothing Ichigo could do by that point. Time -and if he might add, love- was the only medicine.

Honestly speaking, Ichigo had thought the after-effects would last much longer. Personally, the shadow had loomed over him for years and it had been only last year that he had passed the night of June 16th dreamless. Thus, it was given that the nightmares would revisit his lover even with the prodigiously -Toshiro had to be talented even in recovering- fast improvement.

He wondered how long this had been going on for, his eyes fixed on the back of the snowy tuft that gained a shade of grey because of his looming shadow. When Toshiro had first returned to Soul Society after his second sick-leave, the captain had barely had time for catnaps, never mind dreaming, due to horrendous amount of work that awaited him. It was an ironical situation where the ceaseless work that Ichigo usually wanted his lover to get away from was what helped Toshiro to drive away the hurtful memories, but apparently, the renewed serenity of Soul Society were now giving back what it had graciously taken away from the captain.

Hitsugaya looked up when the hands left his shoulders, leaving them cold, only to have his view blocked out by black fabrics as Ichigo wrapped his arms around him gently. There was a sense of identification between them in the solemn silence and Hitsugaya let himself relax in the warm embrace, ever so slightly leaning into his lover who returned it with an affectionate kiss on top of his head.

To have lost the core of his family to his own mistake and to have personally killed the only family for her own sake; no one would be able to answer if anyone had asked what was worse.

"Do you want me to stay? I'm sure Yuzu can help Pops out by herself for a day."

"No, it's okay."

Neither of them was a type to ask or accept other's help easily and Ichigo knew it but it did not mean he had to be happy with the expected answer. Really, in his eyes, Toshiro was even more stubborn than himself in some ways, perhaps because of his captaincy and his status as the famed prodigy of Gotei 13; it was a lot to live up to. Having found out the almost unrealistic expectations on the young genius captain who still had unimaginable potential in the years to come, Ichigo had taken it upon himself to give Toshiro some much needed breaks that the aloof captain would not accept from anyone else. He was well aware of his lover's gifted talent but it did not mean the weight was not of a burden on those small shoulders.

"I'm here whenever you need me."

The emerald jewels peeped up and curved into a rare, soft smile just for a second as Hitsugaya locked his gaze with the brown eyes. The obvious love in those hazelnut orbs filled his soul with heartwarming sensation and the fluttering feeling Hitsugaya had felt during his empathic times would return, rushing his blood through his veins.

Ichigo returned his lover's precious smile with a weary one and gave a light squeeze which caused the boy to wrinkle his nose slightly. Chuckling, he kissed away all the creases before settling back down on the desk and dropped his bag right in front of the captain who raised an eyebrow, silently asking if Ichigo dared to prevent him from working. Ichigo niftily ignored the questioning look and grinned. It was not difficult when he could see the soft sparkles of amusement behind the cold curtains.

Hitsugaya rolled his eyes at the unspoken order but did not spit out the usual annoyed 'go away' as he decided to amuse the strawberry for today. Having already worried the teen, he did not plan to have an argument on top of it. It would be quite pointless when his past experiences told him that he was unlikely to win this one, much like his attempts to get his vice-captain at her desk. Moreover, he still did not know what others had got him nearly a week ago which was rather impolite and whatever else he was, Hitsugaya Toshiro was certainly not ill-mannered.

On the actual birthday, he never got the chance to have a proper look at the presents thanks to the bad opening that Kurosaki had cooked up and the party -written 'party', read 'chaos'- that had ensued afterwards. Much to his surprise, the big sports bag was more or less full, partly because the boxes were obviously just dumped rather than stacked, and he took out a medium-sized box that was sitting precariously on top of another slanted box when Ichigo popped a question in amused voice.

"So where were you?"

"I had to see Ukitake."

"Didn't expect that. I don't see any candies falling out of your sleeves."

Hitsugaya glared at the teen who pretended to look innocent but the corners of the lips had already curled upwards and he shook his head, returning his attention back to his first birthday present. When a set of fine modern clothes revealed themselves inside, he heard Kurosaki giving out an interested 'hmm' and glanced up with a guarded look, wondering what was going on in that mikan head now.

"What?

"Must be Ishida. Just wondering what he has made you."

And Ichigo was right. Hitsugaya soon found a birthday card from Ishida Uryuu which was almost completely covered in straight, neat writing that reflected the Quincy's personality. He read through the long paragraphs which, he found out in the first one, were all about the clothes; what the initial designs had been, what fabrics had been used and how Inoue had offered some, uh, interesting designs -like a cape that sounded like it would make Hitsugaya look like a little Red riding hood- which he did not follow, much to the captain's relief. Hitsugaya had known about the interest Ishida held in handicraft but as he took the clothes out one by one, the quality did not cease to surprise him.

First on top was a pair of wide black wristbands with two straps on each and a neatly folded black scarf. Below them was a pure white short-sleeved T-shirt with a dragon on its front in elegant silver threads. A pair of bright red jewels used for dragon's eyes told them clearly who the original model of the simple decor had been. A pair of straight, metallic grey jeans followed the T-shirt, then a Chinese-collared black jacket with a single thick silver line across the chest and cropped sleeves. Hitsugaya almost cringed when he noticed the hazelnut eyes shining with anticipation and excitement. He already knew what Kurosaki was going to say even before he opened his mouth.

"Toshiro, try them on! Ishida might have a stick up his ass but he's pretty good at this stuff."

"No."

"Why not?"

The disappointment was clear in the toned down voice -it was like a balloon that had suddenly lost its air- and Hitsugaya scoffed as he tidily folded all the clothes and placed them back in the box, ignoring the kicked-puppy look Kurosaki was attempting to persuade him with.

"This is the administration office and I'm supposed to be working, boke."

"Damn. When can I see you wearing them then?"

The small hands that were just about to close the box stopped in midair with the lid still in them and Ichigo tilted his head at the sudden scowl that creased his lover's face. Hitsugaya remained unaware of the teen's confusion. He had just remembered that he would not be seeing Ichigo for New Year, and quite possibly, for some time after that too.

"…I don't know."

It was not a taunt and Ichigo grasped the dainty hands with a small frown at the hint of regret in the swirling teal orbs. A quiet sigh escaped the tightened lips softly. Hitsugaya had hoped to deliver the news sometime later on rather than so early into their short get-together.

"Kurosaki, I can't come over for New Year. With the investigation, there is simply too much work for me to be off-duty for another day so soon."

"Investigation?"

Ichigo quirked his eyebrow when his lover looked like he was about to slap himself at the question. Only a single word was muttered after that, the captain slipping his hands out of the larger ones to massage his temples somewhat roughly.

"…Shit."

Hitsugaya cursed, realising what predicament he had just placed himself in. He had planned to warn the teen about potential threats that were now cast over them but all he was going to offer as an explanation had been, well, almost nothing. However he had just practically told Kurosaki that something more than 'nothing' was going on at the moment. After all, investigations under the tenth division captain's responsibility were never 'nothing'.

The problem was that Hitsugaya was still uncertain about where Ichigo stood with regards to this undisclosed investigation. Outside of Seireitei, Urahara Kisuke had already been contacted for his help in this never-seen-before phenomenon with the Captain-Commander's permission, which meant Shihouin Yoruichi was probably aware of the circumstances too, considering the two ex-captains' closeness; they had all expected that much. However, whether Yamamoto would be so generous on the substitute shinigami as well, Hitsugaya was not sure. Kurosaki had never belonged to Soul Society before, unlike the previously exiled shinigamis.

"It's 'cuz of murders, isn't it? I thought the Chinese girl was already on it."

The thought on how Soi Fon would react to being referred to as a Chinese girl flitted through Hitsugaya's mind only for a split second as he frowned ever so slightly. Sometimes Kurosaki displayed a great sense of instincts, unfortunately usually at wrong times too. Still unsure what he was going to tell him, Hitsugaya decided to first secure the room with the invisible barrier.

Ichigo felt the familiar, icy reiatsu spreading gently but firmly throughout the room and frowned in confusion at the prodigy who, in contrary, remained impressively stoic. However, behind those grave emerald eyes, he could literally see the praised mind working furiously over something he was yet to find out.

Only silence filled the few awkward seconds as Ichigo waited for the captain to first speak. He certainly did not like these moments but when Hitsugaya swore with his face hidden behind his hand, he instantly knew that he had just breached the invisible duty line between him and the captain accidentally, or rather, Toshiro had stepped over it unintentionally.

Looking transparently through the quiet substitute shinigami, Hitsugaya speculated for a moment how this chat would end, given its dreadfully awful start. It was all that damned Kurosaki's fault and the idiot's unique and annoying talent to loosen and relax him. Truth be spoken, Hitsugaya had just been having a discussion about the inquest with Ukitake regarding the deployment and before his mind closed the lid on the subject firmly, he had ended up with one person that could undo his self-restrains in a second when left by themselves.

Minutes passed as the captain furiously went through turmoil of thoughts and consequences of his possible decisions then with a resigned sigh, Hitsugaya succumbed to the reality that he had brought upon himself.

"This stays in this room, between you and me. Not even to Abarai or Kuchiki Rukia." Then he added after a second. "Not even to Matsumoto."

Ichigo's face was of obvious perplexity and Hitsugaya, for once, understood the reason behind it. The sudden change of the atmosphere would confuse anyone even if you were not a dim-witted orange-haired teen.

"Not even to Rangiku-san?"

"Yes."

"…Promise. I won't say a word."

The delicate hands abandoned the lid that was now slanted over the box and Ichigo suddenly found himself with the Gotei 13 'Hitsugaya taichou' instead of his sweet lover, 'Toshiro'. The glacial eyes seemed to be scrutinising every detail of his, piercing through his soul, and he now had a fraction of understanding on how the subordinates felt in their captain's presence. When the prodigy finally started to speak after a lengthy silence, the low voice was unusually subdued and Ichigo had to bend down a little to catch the words.

"There is not much I can tell you. Sotaichou had ordered it to remain discreet, including what I had stupidly slipped. What you should know is that I had originally planned to warn you to be more watchful from now on, just in case."

"Why?"

Hitsugaya scowled deeper than usual, feeling a headache taking hold of his head; now, where to draw the line? There were certain facts that Kurosaki would sooner or later find out from others, such as the new death toll the killer had accomplished. What mattered was the reason that the new inquest had started, the reason that he wanted Kurosaki to keep his eyes wide open. His decision unmade, Hitsugaya fixed his stormy eyes on the black sports bag in front of him blankly.

"There have been more murders since your last visit."

"'Kay… I still don't see the connection."

The white eyebrows furrowed just a little more and Ichigo instantly got a feeling that he would not like what he was going to hear next. It was going to be either an angry growl -most likely- or a rare softer chiding. And much to his surprise, it was the latter albeit with an obvious hint of the frustration.

"Kurosaki, just do it. Honestly, I should not even be talking to you about it."

Ichigo only gave a shrug. The details of Toshiro's work as a captain was something he rarely delved into but he did need a little more clarification on his lover's warning, at least.

"Right, right. But I need to know what I'm supposed to watch out for. I can't be on the lookout 24 hours a day for anything and everything. Can't be those weaklings in Karakura village you are talking about."

"Actually, it could be. Has there been any increase in Hollows?"

Ichigo blinked at the unexpected question then scrunched his nose as he scraped through his memory. He did not keep any track on the numbers of Hollows but now that he thought about it, he remembered something Ishida had mentioned in passing after they were ambushed by a number of Hollows before.

"Ishida complained about it just a few days ago. Why?"

Knowing Kurosaki, Hitsugaya knew there was no point of asking any more detailed questions on the Hollows' behaviours, but hearing that the analytical Quincy had also noticed the rise, he became more certain that his forewarning would not be completely wasted in any case.

"Kurosaki."

Hitsugaya locked his eyes with the deep brown ones that did not falter under his gaze for a single second. To explain the possible danger was to reveal the latest development with regards to the murders; his strictly secret investigation and the one person that he did not want to, could not loose.

The one person who had saved his crumbling ice-covered plane.

Ichigo saw the uncertainty in the sea-green eyes changing to determination, losing himself in their hypnotic whirlpools. He had never seen such obvious change in one's eyes and the cerulean hue that adorned those jewels added a hint of captivating mysteriousness in their iciness. Abruptly, Ichigo was overwhelmed as he realised from those eyes, what it could mean to go further with their present conversation.

"Wait, wait."

The interruption, its tone almost pleading, had been unexpected and Hitsugaya frowned, questioning Ichigo in his usual non-verbal way. Kurosaki was frowning at him somewhat anxiously and the chocolate eyes had lost any hint of inquisitiveness in them, only profound concern clouding their usual warmness.

"Is this going to risk your captaincy? Get you in trouble? You said something about the old man."

Whatever Ichigo had expected from the captain, it had definitely not been a snort and he blinked in surprise at the smirk on his lover's face. On the other hand, Hitsugaya was simply concluding that the dorky brain sleeping in Kurosaki's head still had a long way to go; had Kurosaki not learnt yet that he did not do something so important impetuously, unlike him?

It had been an astonishingly swift process yet Hitsugaya knew he had made a right decision and he was not going to change it. It was a thin line he would have to walk but there was no way that he would let any dangers slip through his fingers again. He himself knew better than anyone else that if it had not been for the carrot-top, the frosty plane of his world would have turned even more barren and perhaps eventually melted away under the crushing guilt and regret after his ultimate, biggest failure in his life.

And he be damned if this little information would have been all it took to save his lover. It would be all too late once something had already happened, just like Hinamori.

"It already is, although it was purely my fault. Don't worry, I'm not planning to tell you everything and if I don't tell you anything, your inconvenient curiosity would land both of us in trouble in the end."

"Hey, I'm not…!"

"You have the most unfortunate habit of butting into almost everything even if unintended."

Ichigo was not sure how to react or what to say. He was not even sure whether this was the Hitsugaya Toshiro he knew that was in front of him right now. Even if he never paid much attention to the crazy policies in Soul Society, he knew very well of the absolutely authority Yamamoto held in Gotei 13, yet here, one of the strictest captains was about to breach his orders, and for nothing but his sake. However he could not attempt to stop his lover again. Those clear teal orbs evidently told him nothing would now change the captain's mind.

Even if he gave a nod, his reluctance to do so and concerns must have been obvious, because the prodigy abandoned the air of raillery and Ichigo had his yuki hime back for a brief moment.

"Kurosaki, if my speculations are correct, you are deeply involved. While it's not confirmed, I'm not…"

Hitsugaya broke off at the moment but Ichigo knew what the rest of the phrase would have been, if the faint blush creeping up the baby cheeks was not enough of a hint; _'I'm not risking putting you in danger.'_

He blinked a few times before nodding again, a faint hint of understanding in his eyes which he lowered so that Toshiro could not see it. It seemed those in Soul Society had yet to notice the subtle change in the icy captain -Ichigo doubted if even Toshiro himself was aware of it- but those who had lost their beloved had a tendency to become more protective of others still with them and Hitsugaya was not an exception. The prodigy would not be able to forgive himself if he lost him because of what he deemed to be his mistake and incapability. Ichigo understood it even if his lover was most likely unaware of it. It was partly what drove him so desperate to save and protect his family and friends.

"If you say so."

"…The situation is that we are suspecting of undetected infiltration from outside. From our current knowledge, the odds are that it's the Hollows aiming for some sort of revenge. It's just a theory for now but it would not do any harm to be cautious when my only conjecture makes us prime targets."

Ichigo did not have to ask what the word 'revenge' referred to, especially if he and his lover were the potentially main objectives. He grimaced as the memories of the War flooded back into his mind. With the 007-like operation and the final battle, it was not something he was going to forget anytime soon. Inoue was still having some trouble with the grim images she had witnessed while desperately healing shinigamis.

"And verifying that has fallen to you."

"Taichous are aware of it but nothing more. That's why this stays between us, in here."

Ichigo still could not believe Toshiro had just told him one of the current top secrets of Soul Society, all in aid ofhis safety. It was news that was veiled even from the residents of Seireitei. The captain had never been one to talk of his duties in any more detail than the new height the papers had achieved. Gazing into the icy orbs, Ichigo gently held the interlocked hands and brought them up to his lips, murmuring between the feather light kisses he laid on them.

"I won't say anything to anyone. You don't have to worry."

"…I know."

"But promise me something."

Hitsugaya kept his stoic mask but the lips had thinned into a line, betraying his uncertainty. He had an inauspicious feeling that this was going where he did not want it to go, and as usual, he was not wrong.

"I need to know if you are in any danger. Don't let me find it out from someone else or after something has already happened."

"Kurosaki, you are pushing it."

_Like I don't know that_, Ichigo thought to himself, but he was not about to give it up. Stroking the flawless skin in his hands, Ichigo changed his tactic. Having spent nearly a year with this temperamental dragon, he was slowly learning to be more… divert in his ways. The problem was his almost plateau-like learning curve was fixed on one subject only, a.k.a. Hitsugaya Toshiro. Well, like that mattered to him when that was all he needed.

"I don't need to know anything else," Ichigo moved his hand to the velvety cheek, "my reasons are no different from yours, Toshiro."

How on earth the idiot came up with lines that blanked out his mind like that, Hitsugaya would never know, but the moment Kurosaki whispered those words, he knew at the back of his mind that he had already lost this one. How could he not when he understood him, the causes so well? They were two people with the same wounds who both secretly feared losing anyone anymore. However the answer could not come easily. His work ethics were already in a harsh battle with his conscience as its ally against his personal issues.

Ichigo knew he had almost had Toshiro as those emerald eyes regained their mesmerising swirls. Knowing his lover, he could guess what was going through that praised mind -a pretty rare phenomenon, that is- and he bent down to lay his lips on the still boy's forehead for a chaste kiss.

"Just give me that peace of mind. Please, pretty?"

The look Toshiro shot at him at the brave endearment would have made Espadas shrink away in terror but Ichigo only grinned, for he knew his aim had been achieved. And of course, the response did not disappoint him.

"…And that is the only thing you can hear from me with regards to this, no questions."

"Deal."

"And if any of your friends mention the murders…"

"No worries, won't say anything."

A wary look greeted his words and Ichigo pulled his anxious lover into his arms. The resulting posture was rather uncomfortable for both of them but neither made to move at all as Ichigo stroked the silky tendrils.

"I promise on your life."

Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow, lifting his face off the broad chest; on his life?

"Why on mine?!"

"'Cuz I can't live without you?"

The turquoise eyes widened for a second before the reddened face hid itself back in the substitute shinigami's chest.

"You do realise that was just corny."

"And there goes the mood."

Hitsugaya pulled himself away from the teen who was rolling his eyes with a soft smile and finally closed the lid on the box before giving out an abrupt, anxious sigh, shaking his head lightly. What was done was done and he did not regret putting Kurosaki on alert but it did not mean the violation of the order was not of a weight on his mind.

"…What have I got myself into?"

"Me?"

Ichigo grinned at the incredulous gaze Toshiro bent upon him. He knew there were other meanings in the question uttered in a quiet voice but honestly, Toshiro did not have anything to worry about because if there was one thing he never failed to do, it was keeping his promises. He left his lover's favourite butterfly kiss tenderly on the porcelain cheek and was glad to see the emerald eyes gleaming with humorous exasperation.

"Don't flatter yourself, Kurosaki."

Of course, Hitsugaya had read what Kurosaki was really trying to tell him through the soft touch which had, as usual, succeeded to sooth his rippling mind. He still could not understand how one of the most impulsive souls he had met in his life could bring out such calmness out of him, like the Sun driving away the grey clouds that had stormed the rough sea, quelling the monstrous tsunamis into relaxing waves.

Neither of them spoke any further on their previous topic anymore. It was as if they had never talked about the investigation at all, actually. Hitsugaya simply put the box aside and pulled out a flat package while Ichigo silently watched him tearing away the wrapping papers to reveal a book from Sado. The book was then placed on top of Ishida's box and the dainty hand returned inside the pitch-black hole of the bag, this time pulling out an unusual, red envelope.

Ichigo raised his eyebrows when he saw the uncertain frown on his lover's face who was peering inside the present, growing curious as to what had brought out such reaction from the stoic captain. It seemed Toshiro was torn between incredulity, amusement, disbelief, and irritation, and he was about to ask what it was when the boy passed him something from the envelope. He stared at what hung in mid-air, pinched between two lean fingers; a strip of… paper?

Catching the flimsy sheet, he gave a questioning look to Toshiro but the captain only nudged his chin at the paper, gesturing to see it for himself. Tilting his head, Ichigo straightened out the paper and he broke out in bemused laughter once he read the curly writings, decorated with red hearts around it. He knew whom this sloppy handwriting belonged to and he could ask only one question; were they supposed to actually believe this?


	11. Birthday presents Part II

**Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos [#10/?]**  
**Chapter rating**: PG-13  
**Chapter specific warning**: Usual sap and GinxKira  
**Chapter specific spoiler**: None

**Chapter summary**: Hitsugaya's vow to get his revenge on Matsumoto and Yoruichi is quickly forgotten when unexpected presents follow. In the shadow of Seireitei, a frightening danger aims for what is deemed impossible.

**

* * *

  
:::::Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos by Kanon Ch.10::::: _Birthday presents Part II_**

* * *

"A token for three hours of paperwork? From _the_ Rangiku san?"

Ichigo snorted at the thin paper on which the swirly black words starkly stood out as if taunting them. He now understood why the captain had worn that ridiculous face once he got hold of the unbelievable concept of the gift.

"They all have different time lengths. This one says one hour," another one appeared in front of the scoffing emerald eyes, "this one says three hour," Hitsugaya pulled out one more strip, "and this one says two hours. I'm guessing three hours is the longest, it will probably kill her to work any longer than that."

"Do you think she was drunk when she wrote them?"

Hitsugaya snorted, giving a sideways glance at the red envelope that was now flapping in the air like a flag in the wind, courtesy of one very amused carrot-top. The idea of Matsumoto actually sober and preparing this 'gift' with serious intention to stick to her words was enough to almost scare him.

"I bet she doesn't even remember this."

"You can always try. Even if she doesn't, the look on her face when you show them to her would be worthwhile."

Mirroring the smirk on his lover's face, Hitsugaya snatched away his vice-captain's mindboggling present. Matsumoto was certainly not going to provide the service the vouchers described but he placed the envelope in one of his desk drawers anyway. Just as Kurosaki said, he could have his fun at least, watching her getting horror-struck at the aspect of staying in the office for three hours straight.

The next one that was put to the test for the icy captain's attention was a fair sized box that Ichigo pulled out on behalf of his lover who looked a little too unhappy to be someone going through his birthday presents. An orange-coloured tag was stuck on the top and Ichigo tilted his head in slight confusion when he saw who it was from.

"Yoruichi-san… and Rangiku-san again?"

"…I wonder if I can leave this one unopened."

The small face instantly scrunched into a grimace, almost wincing at the names of the two women that could together easily bring down his doom if they wanted to. Frankly, Ichigo was a little worried about this particular one as well. His memory had just dug up the unusual smirk Rangiku had worn just before Toshiro turned up behind him.

From first glance, the box was already no ordinary one, thick gold stripes travelling all over the white canvas in any possible directions. Most of all, the box was wrapped and covered with layers and layers of wide tapes, seemingly drowning in them. Exchanging a questioning but concerned look with the silent prodigy, Ichigo lifted the mysterious present up, giving it a small shake.

It was not heavy but not light either. It certainly rattled though. Sounds of something clattering clearly reached them and both of them grew curious and anxious about what would pop up this time.

"Want me to open it?"

Hitsugaya merely nodded. Honestly, he just wanted to stay away from the box as far as possible. Matsumoto's first present was going to be pretty useless, just a heap of garbage, but once she was combined with the ex-Commander, there was no telling what the duo would aim to achieve. He knew one thing though. It was going to be nothing good for him.

Just opening the damned thing was no easy task. Ichigo struggled with the tight seal around the box and Hitsugaya smirked when he noticed the hands twitching to grab Zangetsu when the first few attempts failed.

In the end after some creative language from the orange-haired teen, the box finally lost the last strap of tape and with a triumphant face, Ichigo opened the box, only to blush furiously at the contents, spluttering some incoherent garbles.

"I… they… it… them… what the…"

"…?"

Frowning, Hitsugaya turned the box around but oh, what a mistake that was.

A cross-shaped divider sat comfortably in the middle of the box, its four quadrants each filled with different _cough_helpful_cough_ things. First, on the top right hand corner were countless tubs, bottles, and tubes of what were unmistakably lubricants, stacked up neatly with no spare space, and from what little information a quick glance had provided the prodigy with, it seemed that every line had its own _flavours_ and Hitsugaya was more than sure that the pink-capped ones were strawberry flavoured even if he could not read the small writing on the cursed things.

Embarrassed and flushed to the roots of his hair, Hitsugaya lowered his eyes from the shiny tubes, only to come across something that made his face even burn redder than Renji's crimson hair; ice trays. Not simple cubed ones but stars, hearts, diamonds, crescent moons and icicles. Having just seen the state of the art architecture of lubes, it would take more than just naivety -and bags of stupidity- to think that these were for any culinary purposes.

And it did not end there. Boxes, just the right size to fit in the divided room, were placed in the left bottom. There was a picture of a board with white and black squares and numerous small glasses with different small plastic pieces inside and Hitsugaya took the box out for a better look, his face of confusion at the big red letters on top.

"Drinking chess? What's chess?"

"Western shoji."

"They play shoji with alcohol?"

Ichigo almost smacked his head at the innocent question and smiled awkwardly. What he saw below once Toshiro took out the chess box did not comfort him at all. It was a board game that was to eventually lead to some stripping. He just hoped that Toshiro was not going to ask him about what _that_ was.

Raising an eyebrow at the brilliant red colouring his lover's face, Hitsugaya put down the chess set and with a resigned look, decided to take a look at the last corner. What could be worse than receiving mountains of flavoured lubricants from his own vice-captain?

Well, apparently it could get worse; _a lot_ worse, in fact.

"…What the hell are _those_?!!"

Ichigo refrained from giving a verbal answer, replying the question only in his mind; two black satin blindfolds, an orange fluffy cuff with a small silver key, a cute little white cat-eared headband, a pair of soft white paw gloves and a matching tail curled around a can of strawberry whipped cream.

Hitsugaya slammed the box shut, his face on bigger fire than what Ryuujin Jakka could ever hope to produce. He should have known Matusmoto would not pass this chance to infuriate him with such… such… The flushed captain growled. He did not even know how to describe the contents. He knew one thing though. The next time he saw his vice-captain, it was not going to be pleasant at all for that lazy bust.

Then the situation decided to take a turn for the worse.

That bonkura, Kurosaki Ichigo, was chuckling, chocolate eyes shining with mischief. Hitsugaya could not believe it. That idiot had fallen for the cursed box.

"Don't tell me you are planning to use them."

Oh, but the mental image of his baby dragon with two little cat ears was too sweet for one hormonal teenager to even pretend to look innocent.

"Why not? It is a free pack of fun after all."

The captain's face exploded in several interesting shades of red, seizing up into a statue at the suggestion, and Ichigo grabbed his chance to steal the box and the bag where the problematic gift was shoved back in. A split second was all it took to get away from the desk and the teal orbs blinked before regaining their notorious glares.

"KUROSAKI! You are _not_ using any of them!"

"Hey, it had a bunch of free lubes which we do need."

Ichigo barely managed to finish his sentence before laughter took him over at his irate lover's flustered face. He did not have any fetish or anything but some mild kinks would not really harm anyone, would it? Although obviously, Toshiro did not think so.

"Kurosaki!!"

Hitsugaya growled dangerously and Ichigo quickly stepped away as the captain made a swing for the bag, looking ready to shred it once he got hold of it. Smirking, he clucked his tongue, wiggling his finger in front of the angry turquoise eyes and this time, he almost did not see the prodigy move and managed to pull the bag out of the snatch just in time.

"Kurosaki. Give. It. Back. I'm burning it."

"Don't think so. I think I'll keep the cat set for _my_ birthda…y…?"

Still stepping back from the boy who was now almost visibly glowing, Ichigo cast a quick look over his shoulder at a soft thud to find a small box on the floor, thrown out of the bag due to his wild flailing. Counting himself lucky for the diversion, he quickly picked it up and passed it onto his lover who was still furiously flushed, half-standing up from his seat.

"Here, you missed one."

Hitsugaya shot daggers at the teen's innocent smile, contemplating whether to continue to pursue the damn box or take the new one. However Kurosaki was now well out of his reach, much to his chagrin. He was simply going to have to retrieve it from the orange-haired pervert's hands later and freeze it so that he could chuck the sharp-edged shards at another strawberry-blond pervert.

Smiling at the unhappy resignation on stealing the bag from him, Ichigo urged his lover to open the last gift from their friends. Hitsugaya almost made a separate written note to himself at the smirk; '_Get the box back from Kurosaki and send Matsumoto to the fourth division with an unfortunate accident involving it_.'

With a heaving sigh, he finally turned to what Kurosaki had passed onto him. The small box actually confused him a little with the unexpected pair it had come from; Inoue Orihime and Urahara Kisuke. And much to his surprise, hidden under the wrapping papers was a deep-green coloured velvety ring box with a pair of plain silver rings sitting inside and a letter that had been folded numerous times to fit the small lid.

'Toshiro-kun, tanjoubi omedeto! (AN: Happy birthday) Umm, I don't really understand how the rings work but once you put them on, they will resonate with each other. It won't work if you are in different dimensions but otherwise, you would be able to feel each other through the rings! Actually, Urahrara-san did most of the work but he was nice enough to call this 'our' present because it was my idea.

The rings should shrink or enlarge to fit your finger. The one with 'I' is yours, make sure you get the right one or it won't work! And I thought you wouldn't want others to know so I've applied an altered version of my rejection technique. No one should be able to see them apart from you two! I can always undo it if you want, so please tell me!

Inoue Orihime'

When they reached the end of the letter where Inoue's signature was accompanied with an attempted try at drawing Urahara's face, they looked at each other before turning to the rings, patiently waiting for their owners to claim them. The alphabets were engraved in eloquent calligraphy, just barely visible on the inside and Ichigo carefully plucked both rings out of the box and picked up the small hand that was resting on the desk.

"May I?"

He should have seen it coming yet the question startled the frosty captain whose eyes snapped up to the orange-haired teen. Suddenly Hitsugaya was lost what to do and the emerald orbs darted between his left hand that fit the larger one like a jigsaw puzzle, the ring, and then the chocolate eyes whose intense fire made him blink in surprise. The dainty hand clenched before it relaxed and the prodigy gave a tiny nod at which Ichigo gently slipped the ring on the fourth finger.

Having never even cast a glance at accessories previously, it was an odd feeling to have a smooth, cold metal around his finger and lowering his hand from the tender grasp, Hitsugaya traced the ring with his thumb. Just as Inoue had said, it had shrunk to snugly fit his finger.

"Anything?"

Ichigo raised his eyebrow when the snow-crowned head shook slowly but before he could try his, the ring on his palm was taken from him by none other than Toshiro. Feeling a tug at the corner of his lips, Ichigo playfully and curiously questioned the captain.

"You gonna do the honour for me?"

"Shut up. Give me your hand or you are not getting it at all."

Rolling his eyes, Ichigo surrendered his hand to the petite one that was stretched out in front of him but he had to smile lovingly when his lover held it with gentleness that betrayed his harsh words. And when the ring was slipped on, Ichigo could not help but give up a surprised gasp at the sensation.

"Wow."

Hitsugaya stared at the ring sans sound. It was suddenly pulsing in beat with his strawberry's heartbeat, the regular rhythm drawing them to each other. The warm pulsing was of familiar calmness for the captain who had listened to the original melody often enough to recognise it at any time. There was no other way of describing it. It was wholly 'feeling' each other, his senses reaching out for his orange-haired counterpart. A simple linkage of reiatsus did not even begin to compare with what he was feeling now. Even the said bond had never been established again since the recovery.

For Ichigo whose spiritual sense did not improve one bit, this could not have been better, feeling his soul itself seeking out for his baby dragon whose teal eyes were presently rooted to his own ring.

"Brilliant. How does that geta-boshi make these things?"

There was no response from the prodigy who was still lost in the intense, amazing sensation of being together, not just physically but wholeheartedly. It was not merelya simple accessory he had received but a reminder of who warmed his frosty soul, a reminder of what they shared. Then suddenly, Kurosaki's face was just inches from his, making him pull back out of reflex.

"What?"

"Toshiro, you know what it means to wear a ring on the left fourth finger, don't you?"

"…?"

Chuckling at the puzzlement evident in the emerald jewels, Ichigo cupped the base of the white-topped head gently and leaned in, whispering with a smirk as he hovered just above the warm lips.

"It means you are married to the one who shares the pair."

The words were muttered in a barely audible whisper as the distance between the two grew shorter and Ichigo almost did not finish the sentence at the taunting, velvety lips that he brushed against at the last few words. He was not even sure if Toshiro had managed to catch his uttered words but he was not going to wait for confirmation when hot, shaky breaths were tickling his seeking lips.

There was no war for dominance or any heated lust in the kiss. The lips shared their warmth adoringly and Ichigo pried the soft flesh open ever so cautiously as if it was their first kiss. They parted just as softly as they met, the kiss lasting only a short while and when he opened his eyes, Ichigo was greeted with the mesmerising teal orbs filled with amused disbelief.

"…Married?"

"Yeah, I don't know about Soul Society but in our world, it's like… a symbol of commitment to fidelity for each other."

Hitsugaya scoffed and rolled his eyes, defiantly ignoring the pink tinge on his cheeks that were fast turning cherry red.

"That's a big word for you."

"Would it kill you so much to go with the mood just for once?"

"Che."

Ichigo threw his hands up in the air in a mock surrender. It was not as if he did not know of the coldness that his lover put up to hide away his sweet shyness.

"Love you too."

The small face burned up in another bright fire and Ichigo softly ruffled the white spikes, straightening back up. An irritated glare was shot his way but he only gave a cheeky grin and took his hand away before he would get slapped by the blushing prodigy.

"Well, looks like one proper thank you is on its way for Urahara-san and Inoue when I get back."

"…Tell them I… appreciate the present."

Ichigo smiled and nodded at the quiet whisper. The gaze partially hidden under the thick eyelashes was surely of small, discreet happiness. His grin widening, he grabbed the bag again while his lover's attention was concentrated on the ring.

"Well, here's the last one."

Hitsugaya blinked at what had been abruptly thrust into his face. It was after a few seconds of apprehensive look that he looked up at Ichigo with a faint smirk.

"I presume that it's supposed to be you?"

"Hey, don't sound like it's that hard to see it."

The captain snickered at the protest. In the teen's hand was a stuffed toy, about the size of the lion that Kurosaki's mod soul usually occupied, except that this one was no lion. It was a boy in shihakshou with fake Zangetsu on its back and orange wools for hair.

"Believe it or not, I made it."

Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow at the sheepishly smiling teen. What a shocker. The image of Kurosaki Ichigo struggling with needles and threads were enough to make him actually chuckle. The walls of Kurosaki's bedroom must have been rather abused with sharp pricks.

"You did??"

"Yeah, got Ishida to teach me. It's for you to hold when you miss me and you better do, 'cuz it was one hell of befriending time with the stupid Quincy."

Hitsugaya tilted his head with a snicker. Kurosaki and Ishida were certainly not the best of the friends despite the journeys they had taken together.

Putting the toy down on the desk, Hitsugaya crossed his arms across his chest in a show of annoyance, the obvious disbelieving amusement in his voice brilliantly ruining the effect.

"You do realise I do not own any toys, let alone cuddle them."

"It's me, though! I know you miss me, brat."

"Bakayaro. You are lucky I have good enough manner to accept it for your effort."

Ichigo would have added a fake glare to his roll of eyes but the captain had already turned his attention back to what was apparently his 'cuddlie'. Hitsugaya was quite surprised actually. He had not thought the brash teen could succeed in what required such patience and delicacy. Those two words did not even make onto the bottom of the list of what described Kurosaki Ichigo.

"I'm so grateful for your generosity, yuki hime. Geez."

"Moron."

"Thanks and my pleasure for the present. Whatever."

Hitsugaya smirked at the strawberry that was attempting to look annoyed -emphasis on 'attempting'- and tucked the small Ichigo away in a desk drawer. He would take it to his quarter tonight but seriously, there was no way he was going to cuddle it during his sleep.

With all presents now passed on, commented on, and tried on, Ichigo quietly watched the prodigy putting them away from the desktop, already getting ready to bog down to his work. To be honest, there had been something he had been contemplating from a few minutes ago but he had not wanted to bring it up just after the brief chat about the new development in the homicides. However, the air was now much softer and lighter like cotton candy so he was feeling it was good time to bring back up the subject of New Year.

"Toshiro."

"Mm?"

"…I know you are all busy and things but is even an hour too much to ask for?"

Hitsugaya straightened up with a slightly startled look after putting Ishida's box on the floor at the unanticipated question. Kurosaki gave a rueful smile as he rubbed his messy orange head and Hitsugaya could not help but wonder what it was that his lover wanted him in the real world so badly for. Kurosaki had never asked for his attendance more than once. If he said no, it remained so.

"You really want me there."

It was not a question but a statement and Ichigo only nodded at the solemn eyes that soon turned curious.

"...What is it that you need me there for? You mentioned something like that in the letter."

Hitsugaya watched the teen giving a crooked smile before the arms opened up, inviting him into the soothing warmth. The gesture was followed by a silent conversation between sceptical emerald eyes and insistent hazelnut ones and after a moment of uncertainty, Hitsugaya stood up from his chair, searching for any reaitsus around the office for one last time before submitting to the loving embrace. One of the muscular arms snaked around the slim waist and the other hand rubbed the small of the back of the uptight prodigy, luring him into heartwarming relaxation, while the rest of the conversation was carried out in subdued whispers.

"I was hoping to introduce you to my mum this New Year. With the War and whatnot, I haven't seen her over a year and she should know what an amazing brat I have found."

There was a slap on his back and Ichigo chuckled as he tightened his hold around the lithe body that was squirming to get away from him. A few seconds was all it took for him to calm down the irritated captain who snorted quietly with his face pressed against the broad chest.

"Wouldn't she be surprised that I'm not even a live human, never mind that I'm a guy?"

"She would understand. She always did."

There was faint sadness of loss in the words and Hitsugaya fell silent for a moment before shifting a little in the strong arms, resting his forehead on the slowly rising and falling chest. The cocooning embrace sometimes dropped him into an illusion that the rest of the world save them did not exist anymore.

"I might have to leave even before an hour's up, depending on my situation."

Startled at the quiet words, Ichigo looked down at the white mob of hair. To be honest, he had planned to give it up if Toshiro rejected the idea again. As disappointed as he was, he knew the prodigy was doing his best to juggle his heavy workloads and his new-born personal life which was no easy feat considering the amount of work Gotei 13 captains had to get through each day, not to mention the rather fatal work ethics the tenth division captain held.

"You serious?"

There was a scoff around his chest and Ichigo watched with wide eyes as the captain extricated himself free from his arms with a smirk, returning to the high-back chair.

"I guess I will have to spare an hour when my so-called boyfriend is playing a guilt-trip on me."

Ichigo flinched awkwardly at the words -that was not quite what he had planned- but soon scoffed when he noticed the mischievous sparkles in the teal orbs; Toshiro was clearly teasing him. Arranging his features into an innocent harrumph, he crossed his arms and tilted his head.

"Hey, you are the one who asked me. I only gave an honest answer."

"_Sure_, I believe you."

"Brat."

"Idiot."

"Prick."

"Pervert."

"You love me for it."

Hitsugaya rolled his eyes and swatted at his lover with no real intention when Ichigo planted a chaste kiss on his cheek. With content laughter, Ichigo straightened up and peeled himself off the desk that he had been leaning on and the turquoise eyes followed him, slightly confused.

"'Kay, then. I'll go now."

"I thought you were staying until dinner."

Hitsugaya instantly regretted saying that as a wide grin spread across the idiot's face. _Damn_, he thought to himself. He was not going to hear the end of this.

"See? You do miss me. That was the plan but then I'm stealing you for New Year, aren't I?"

"Che."

Ichigo chuckled, not missing the pink tinges on the porcelain cheeks, and bent down for a quick kiss on the plush lips.

"I'll stay at the clinic until 11 so come whenever."

"Go out with your family whenever they go. I, unlike you, can track you down with your reiatsu. And remember, the ring."

Ichigo blinked in perplexity before a look of understanding dawned on his face along with a happy smile. Whenever they were in same realm, the rings would tug them towards each other with whatever god-given ability Urahara had built in them. Glancing at its partner shimmering on his lover's finger, Ichigo stroked the baby cheek with his thumb, the chocolate eyes of concern.

"If things get too busy, just let me know."

"It's okay. I've promised so I'll come."

It looked like Kurosaki wanted to say something but Hitsugaya shook his head. Even with the new investigation, just an hour at night was something he was ready to take out for the sake of the orange-haired teen. Knowing the significance of his presence there on New Year, Hitsugaya could not, well, not be there and he knew Kurosaki would not turn unreasonable when he would have to return so soon. The captain inwardly smiled; for two very obstinate, immovable people, their relationship was built on surprising amount of consideration.

"…'Kay. Just don't overdo yourself."

Ichigo knew it was probably pointless to say so but the short nod that the snow-crowned head gave was of a small relief nevertheless. He gave one last kiss to the smooth forehead then with a quick wave of his left hand where the silver ring sparkled in the sunlight, he opened the door and left the tenth division administration office.

Watching the messy orange mob disappear behind the door, Hitsugaya sighed exasperatedly although there was a little tug at the corner of his lips. It seemed that Ichigo was heading for the 13th division, presumably to see Kuchiki Rukia, and the teal orbs fell upon the plain yet miraculous accessory sitting on his digit, gently leading his mentality towards his lover who was currently moving through the maze-like streets. Somehow it did not cloud his spiritual sense but the warm beating was enough to almost make him falsely think that Ichigo was still standing right next to him.

With a light shake of his head, Hitsugaya focused back on the paperwork in front of him. It would be only for an hour but he would feel much safer about the short excursion if he knew that most of the work was already done and dusted before he left and there was less than a week left.

It was only when the pulsing sensation from the ring disappeared that the captain realised Ichigo had succeeded in taking Shihouin and Matsumoto's joint present back with him and cursed under his breath, his face burning in crimson in the equally blazing sunset light that flooded the office through the open window.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

All the while, back in the third division office.

"Anou… Matsumoto-san, are you really okay to be here…?"

"I told you, taichou has told me to leave the office!"

_…Did he? Oh yeah, he did_, Matsumoto thought triumphantly. Her drugged brain had slowed down rather a lot, not to mention going hazy. Hitsugaya did tell her to leave, didn't he? At least that was what her -alcohol-soaked- memory was telling her.

"It's a little hard to believe that Hitsugaya taichou would actually do that…"

"Don't worry, don't worry!"

Kira seemed still in need of reassurance, glancing at the door as if the prodigy was going to burst through it at any moment. After all, it would not be the first time it happened. Substantial amount of the third division budget had gone into simply fixing the poor office door since Seireitei had both the ex-spy and the young tendo back at their posts, all because of one busty woman sitting in front of him. However this time, Ichimaru stepped in to calm his anxious lover, shifting around to lie on his back as he nestled his head more comfortable on the blonde's lap.

"Izuru, ya worry too much. Rangiku said it's fine so it'll be fine."

"Ha…Hai, taichou."

"Now, now, Izuru. What did I tell you before?"

The blonde quickly looked sideways timidly when the garnet eyes opened up to look at him and Matsumoto kept herself utterly still lest she would ruin whatever was transpiring in front of her eyes because her instinct was telling her she did not want to miss this. Kira cast a quick glance at the buxom woman sitting across him before looking back at Ichimaru who had now pushed himself up into a half-sitting position, smiling at him expectantly.

"……G…Gin…"

"There's a good boy."

Matsumoto laughed at the almost inaudible word. So that was what it was about; no 'taichou', but 'Gin'. She watched as her Rukongai brother fell back on Kira's lap -Gin had gone through far more bottles with her than Kira- then grinned.

"Gin."

"Mmm??"

"You look so happy that I'm almost getting jealous."

The fox-faced shinigami cracked just one eye open then chuckled as he nodded with his trademark smile, which only made Kira gain even deeper shade of red. Matsumoto giggled behind her hand before she moved onto the shy blonde.

"What about you, Kira? Are you as happy as Gin?"

Kira looked a little taken back at the direct question but Ichimaru's hand found his and he looked down to see the captain sleepily smiling at him. He smiled back coyly as he returned the hold and silently nodded which resulted in two very satisfied shinigamis, both grinning goofily at him. Matsumoto laughed out loud when the ex-spy snuggled into the blonde's tummy as he purred -there was no other word for it- and Kira smiled awkwardly at her as he stroked the silky strands. She knew Gin had a tendency to get rather childish in his physical interactions when he was under the influence of alcohol but it was too adorable, seeing him all curled up and nuzzling into the vice-captain like a content cat.

"Gin, I thought you are the top!!!"

Ichimaru peeked over his shoulder at his sister, his sly smile only growing wider.

"And who says I'm not? You don't know how _nice_ Izuru feels."

"Tai…Taichou!!"

The little wink that accompanied the supposedly compliment hinted a double meaning in his words and Kira's face looked like ready to explode. However Ichimaru suddenly became stern and pushed himself upright on his wobbly and drunken arm as he frowned at his lover.

"Now Izuru, that ain't good so I'm gonna hafta punish ya."

Then before the poor blonde could say anything else, Ichimaru was kissing him full on his lips and when Kira opened his mouth at the gentle tug on his chin, his mouth was flooded with warm sake. Matsumoto whooped from the side at the satisfying performance; now, only if she could see her captain and Ichigo kissing like that in front of her.

The kiss simply deepened even after Kira had somehow managed to swallow the alcohol and Matsumoto stifled her giggles when she saw one of Gin's hands slipping into the blonde's shihakushou which seemed to startle Kira out of whatever trance he had entered. Kira's thin hand quickly grasped the equally thin hand of his captain and the blue eyes widened to the size of a full moon.

"Taichou!"

"Izuru, looks like it wasn't enuff."

"Alright, Gin, you can carry on with your private education when I'm gone."

As much as she wanted to see, Matsumoto decided to save the timid vice-captain from any further public sexual molest before Kira fainted from blood rush and instead, filled all three glasses then lifted hers up which the other two followed. The glasses clang in mid-air and Matsumoto happily shouted out the toast.

"For my uke-like seme, Gin, and the happily sexually harassed, Kira! Kanpai!"

Kira spluttered, Gin smiled, and Matsumoto drained the glass with laughter and refilled it.

It was just another day at the third division where Ichimaru Gin reigned over as the captain, Kira Izuru as the vice-captain, and Matsumoto Rangiku as its unofficial honorary member.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

'Ne, sweety.'

A lone man looked away from the moon he had been staring at when he heard the familiar voice of his zanpaktou. He could not understand how the extension of his soul turned out to be this dangerously beautiful and fatally playful woman when he was far from it. His wife used to pretend to get jealous of his zanpaktou because of the hazardous beauty Hebi no Doku possessed. Nevertheless, he knew that although the jealousy was an act of amusement, his wife never felt truly comfortable with the nature of his zanpaktou.

He shook his head. None of that mattered any more.

"What is it?"

The attractive woman materialised in front of him and curled around him, the limbs tangled with each other and the midnight hair tickling his cheek as she nestled her head on his shoulder.

'Why are you not doing anything? You've got everything you need.'

The man stroked the satiny hair absent-mindedly and replied in a dull voice.

"I need a chance to get all of them at once. Picking them offone by one would be too difficult."

'And when would that be? Haven't you waited for long enough?'

A black-nailed hand ran through the deep purple hair and the shinigami's black eyes became unfocused, hazily looking out of the window he was sitting next to. When there was no answer, the woman chuckled softly and kissed the man's temple before she disappeared into thin air.

'Just be careful, my sweetheart… After all, you are trying to kill the thirteen most powerful shinigamis of Soul Society…'

With the sly tone, it was hard to tell whether the woman was honestly giving an advice or simply teasing him but the reply was only blank and dull as if the soul had been lost and only the body lived.

"Yes, I know."


	12. New Year Part I

**Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos [#11/?]**  
**Chapter rating**: PG  
**Chapter specific warning**: Tooth-rotting fluff with capital F  
**Chapter specific spoiler**: None

**Chapter summary**: Hitsugaya keeps his promise to Ichigo.

**Author's note:**

**Kingyo-sukui**: It's the goldfish scooping game, often seen in summer festivals. I doubt they hold it in winter but whatever. (Oi!)

**Wagashi**: It's a general term for traditional Japanese confectionary.

* * *

**:::::Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos by Kanon Ch.11::::: _New Year Part I_**

* * *

With the serial murderer still on theloose, the captains had warned their divisions to be extra vigilant at nights and to move in pairs at least. However, with the sheer number of shinigamis in Seireitei, there were bound to be those who did not take the captains' words to their hearts, and usually in horror films, they were the ones that became the newest victims because of their blissfully blatant ignorance.

Therefore when Takeshi Akihito, the 19th Seat officer of the fourth division, oh so bravely waved away his mates and their offer to walk him to his place after the night-duty, then turned up dead and disfigured the next morning, they could only shake their heads.

Hitsugaya did not doubt that Soi Fon and Unohana were working overnight again. With the death toll rising, all three of them were feeling the increasing pressure for slightest of progress in either of the investigations. However as for Hitsugaya, there was nothing he could do but wait for the return of those deployed. The first one on his current list was Matsumoto who was due to return from the human realm sometime today after having looked into the increased Hollow attacks.

Shortly after her departure, Madarame had been sent into Hueco Mundo with strict orders for stealth and simple observation for preliminary investigation and Hitsugaya's plan was to have Ayasegawa and Kuchiki Rukia follow the Third Seat one by one later on. They would be allocated to different areas of the white desert and with the distance between them, the three shinigamis would most likely remain unaware of each other's presence in the forsaken realm.

Keeping their identities hidden from each other was a precaution Hitsugaya was taking for the sake of the investigation and the possible result as, given the circumstances, nothing could be taken for granted. When he had all of their reports in his hands would be the time to decide the next course of action.

Nevertheless there was nothing that could stop the usual nonstop influx of papers which was why the tenth division administration office was found to be still occupied even after the work hour, the teal orbs skimming across the delicate paper in the small hand with unhidden disgust. It was about a brawl between two of the tenth division shinigamis that had gone out of hand until Kotetsu Isane came across and put it out. Hitsugaya scowled, utterly dissatisfied. He loathed getting such reports just like any other captains. It was a disgrace to the division. Hitsugaya put the paper separate from the piles of finished ones with annoyance. It would serve as a reminder to set some orders into those two's minds.

The rather rough landing of the paper caused a slight disturbance of air on the desk, small but enough to waft away the last few that had been scattered on the desk, and the dainty hands shot out as the high-back chair dragged across the floor with screeching sound. Thankfully Hitsugaya's reflex had been fast enough to save him grudgingly squatting down on the floor and he let out a small sigh, gathering the papers into a neat stack. The emerald eyes looked at the top paper rather wearily before glancing out of the open window.

The burning sun was taking its leave behind the far horizon, gracing the souls with one of the nature's most picturesque views. Deep, enchanting crimson swirled and mingled together with tender, satiny orange, staining the sky in a colour that his limited vocabulary could not rightly express. Hitsugaya stared out at the blazing sky in a blank face. He was uncertain what his reaction should be to the breathtaking scenery that reminded him of two such contradictions; his tattered memories with Hinamori and his slowly healing heart with Kurosaki. However, he tore his eyes away from the scenic view almost immediately. It was not the time to linger on his old injuries.

Instead, the turquoise eyes landed on a square box innocently sitting on the floor next to the desk before the captain grabbed what seemed to be a new duty rota with a sigh, turning his back on the mesmerising display. Then the white eyebrows furrowed in a slight annoyance when Hitsugaya saw today's date at the top corner of the page; December 31. It was New Year's Eve.

Past dinner time yet no sign of Matsumoto. _She better be getting late on work_, Hitsugaya mentally growled with a scowl. Normally, having spent too many years with his vice-captain, he could not have cared less if the buxom woman had decided to spend all evening in the 11th before finally turning up past midnight, but tonight, the report had to be handed over to him on time. Tonight, he had a certain place, a certain someone he had to attend to.

After an endless endeavour to clear his desk of all the papers that made him wonder where all the woods for its sheer quantity came from, Hitsugaya was now facing a rather odd looking office that had lost its Mt. Paper Everests and with what little preparation he had to take, he was now all ready to leave for the human world -- save Matsumoto, that is. The prodigy sighed quietly yet again with only one word coming into his mind.

Typical.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Onii-chan, are you sure you haven't hurt your finger?"

Ichigo startled out of his thoughts at the worried voice belonging to his youngest sister. The time was now near half past ten and the infamous Kurosaki family had nearly demolished all but half of the night market as usual. Ichigo ruffled his sister's light brown hair and gave his typical crooked smile. Just a little further out from them, Karin, who had got two days off the camp for New Year, was looking at one of the stalls with Isshin bouncing around behind her, trying to get the uninterested girl's attention.

"Yeah, I'm sure so don't worry and get Pops before Karin kicks him to the moon."

Yuzu giggled as she watched her father now half-clinging on her fraternal twin who was fast gaining a number of angry marks as she tugged her new but still uncomfortable kimono out of Isshin's grasp. A pair of thick tabi protected her small feet from the frosty temperature although with the way things were going, it seemed the zori was going to be introduced to the goat-face in due time.

And it was not a long wait. Just as Yuzu was about to take her first step to resume the role of peacemaker, Karin had finally lost patience with her old man.

"Ah, there he goes."

"Mou, Karin-chan! You didn't have to kick him into _another_ shop!"

Sharing a roll of eyes with Karin, Ichigo simply stood there with his arms cross across his chest, watching his father getting pulled out of now-torpedoed stall by Yuzu. Though, truth be told, Ichigo was rather glad of the diversion that had taken his sister's attention off his small but seemingly peculiar behaviour. After all, Yuzu could not see what her brother kept caressing.

The silver ring was meant only for the eyes of the two lovers who shared the pair and with his lover's arrival later than expected, Ichigo could not help but constantly lose his attention to his surroundings in the favour of the anticipation of the ring's unique melody. In fact, in that short span of a few seconds, Ichigo had drifted off yet again, tracing the outline of the smooth metal with his fingertip, that he did not realise Yuzu had left him in charge of their erratic father while she went over to Karin to see what had caught her twin's attention.

"So, Ichigo! Where's our honoured guest?"

He scowled as he realised the situation. _Not good_, he thought as Isshin's booming, way too excited voice deafened his ears and Ichigo took a step back away from the uncomfortably sparkling black eyes.

"Isn't it obvious that he's not here yet?"

"Make sure you introduce him to your mum! I'm sure that Masaki will be happy to know that you have finally found lo-"

Isshin did not manage to finish the sentence as his son quickly clapped his hand over his mouth -it looked oddly like suffocating the man rather than quietening him- and fumed with crimson-flushed face. Ichigo wondered not for the first time tonight whether his invitation for the irritable captain had been wise. He was not sure how much more his heart could cope with the bombs Isshin continued to drop, seemingly oblivious to the after-wave it could cause, and more importantly, the privacy his son was trying to protect. Ichigo did not exactly fancy the whole town knowing about his rather exceptional love life.

"SHUT! UP!"

"Mm!!! Mmp!!!!"

The father thrashed around, trying to pry one annoyed carrot-top's hand off him to get the much needed oxygen into his body but Ichigo's grip was strong and Isshin was fast turning blue. Unfortunately, his thrashing went mostly ignored by the others who had seen the eccentric doctor in similar situations more than countable times and Karin only dropped a few words with her eyes remaining on the small handmade hairpin that Yuzu was trying on.

"Ichi-nii, just remember not to kill him."

However there was no reply from the teen whose entire demeanour quickly changed from flushed irritation to keenness and it was only then that Isshin finally managed to get away from his son, gasping for air.

Ichigo did not care much about his stupid father at that point. The comforting rhythm of the spiritual pulsing had just sprung back into life, alerting him of his lover's arrival and soon, the soundless melody was growing in its volume as its counterpart closed the distance between them. Ichigo snapped around to his father who instantly cowered at the death glare from the chocolate eyes. With the stoic captain already on his way, it was time to drill in some ground rules into his lunatic father's head.

"Pops, don't say anything stupid around Toshiro, okay? If you say anything weird…"

The murderous look in the brown eyes growled of more threats than the teen could have done in any words and Isshin quickly nodded, whimpering that his son had now outgrown him. Ichigo looked at the tearful man with doubtful eyes. Half his mind was telling him that his warning would only fly to the moon out of Isshin's mind the moment Toshiro arrived and the other half was telling him that unfortunately, the first half was probably right.

The twins soon joined them after having bought a cute strawberry-shaped hairpin -Ichigo inwardly cringed when he saw it- for Yuzu. It seemed they had found a kingyo-sukui stall and despite the fact that neither of them had ever managed to catch a fish so far, both of them looked eager to have another go at it this year. Ichigo chuckled at their excitement and enthusiasm, asking them to slow down a little since his 'friend' was on his way. Yuzu tilted her head in confusion and her question made Ichigo sweat-drop with an awkward smile.

"How is he going to find us in this huge market?"

"Don't worry, I've… uh… given him enough directions."

_Like follow the trail of destruction_, he thought to himself when he saw the owner of the shop Isshin had wrecked redecorating the display at the corner of his eyes.

"Girls! Look! They are selling takoyaki and taiyaki over there!!"

It was hard to tell the real purpose behind that sudden interruption from his father but Ichigo watched amused as his sisters were half-dragged to the nearby snack booth that exuded of appetizing smells. The girls did not seem to mind the hauling so much though. They have had dinner pretty early tonight to have enough time for preparation and celebration and with all the walking, laughing, wailing, kicking, and flying, their stomachs were fast emptying out.

With a light scoff, Ichigo let them briefly disappear behind the noisy crowd and turned to where the ring continually pulled his soul. It had been less than a week ago that he last saw his lover and certainly not the first time seeing Toshiro in the real world yet the malfunctioning heart was thumping at 100 miles an hour and he could not help but smile, wondering how this evening would unwind.

"Onii-chan, here, one for you! They've just made it so it's all fresh and hot!"

Yuzu and Karin looked at each other in puzzlement when their brother remained silent and this time, Karin took a taiyaki from her bag and shook it in front of the distant hazelnut eyes.

"Ichi-nii??"

Ichigo nearly jumped when a taiyaki suddenly appeared out of nowhere right in front of his eyes. He smiled sheepishly when Karin raised her black eyebrow at him. She just shrugged when her 'high-spec' brother mumbled an apology, thrusting a steamy taiyaki to him. Feeling somewhat hungry as well, Ichigo was about to take the fish-shaped waffle when his eyes caught the one he had been waiting coming into his view and he froze on the spot, his hand stupidly hanging in midair.

Toshiro was making his way through the crowded street, his snow-white hair shockingly standing out even in the feast of colours and attracting many attentions, much to the captain's obvious annoyance. There was a small brown paper bag held slackly in one hand and the usual scowl wrinkled the sweet face but what had caught Ichigo's attention was his yuki hime's clothes. It was not the usual school uniform that he had gotten used to seeing the prodigy in during his stay. It was not even the simple jean and the black T-shirt Toshiro wore out of school time. He recognised them though. It was the outfit that Ishida had given the captain for his birthday.

And damn, his baby dragon looked _hot_.

The ashy grey jeans perfectly showed off the leanly muscled legs and the cropped jacket remained opened to reveal the white T-shirt inside, the elegant silver dragon glistening faintly in the colourful lights. Around the collar hung the midnight black scarf, loosely wrapped around the neck with its ends fluttering behind him in the chilly winter breeze, and two wide black wristbands finished off the look, bare, china-white skin visible between them and the jacket sleeves.

Ichigo was so lost in the enchanting display that he simply stayed rooted, ogling at the nearing captain, and it was actually Yuzu who called out for the white-haired boy that she saw when she turned around to see what had stunned her brother so much. Talking of which, why seeing his friend had him frozen like that??

"Hitsugaya-kun!"

"Gombangwa." (AN: Good evening.)

Hitsugaya was not all oblivious to the teen's gawking and he was not all oblivious as to why either. It had taken a while for him to get used to the unfamiliar look of himself as well. Offering another greeting at the black-haired girl, he unnoticeably poked Kurosaki's side which led to a rather suspicious sudden jerk from the orange-haired teen before his eyes landed on the man with black beard. _So this is Kurosaki's borderline-on-child-abuse father_, Hitsugaya thought amusedly, glancing at the teen who was still blinking himself back into the reality from whatever gutter his mind had taken off to.

"Kurosaki-san, gombangwa."

"Welcome to Kurosaki New Year!" Then the happy grin on the man's face turned seriously puzzled, "hmm, but Ichigo, he looks rather young. Are you a pedo-"

The rest was lost in the teen's attempt in shutting up his father as a tightly clenched fist flew out in a flash, connecting with Isshin's jaw from below. Hitsugaya watched in a mixture of surprise and amusement as Isshin flew off from his spot and dropped on the ground a few metres away from them, lifting his eyebrow ever so slightly with a faint smirk at his first experience of the Kurosaki family. As usual, Yuzu hurriedly went over to her father, chiding her brother, but Isshin quickly stood up and charged at his son again, shouting that Ichigo was still not good enough to win against him, only to be easily deflected by his target. At the end, Isshin ended up receiving another good, proper stomping on his back.

"Don't pay attention to them, they'll be over soon."

Hitsugaya turned at the rather deadpan voice to find Karin looking decidedly bored of the bizarre brawl. The tangled lump that was so-called a father and a son was still busy with each other and the captain decided to follow the expert's advice as he greeted the tomboy girl.

"It's been a long time."

"I'm glad you are here. Ichi-nii was worried even tonight that you might not be able to make it after all. Do all taichous have so much work that they can't even enjoy New Year?"

Hitsugaya looked at the black-haired girl with surprise and lowered his voice although there was probably no need to do so with all the commotion thetwo Kurosaki men were causing.

"You know?"

"Just bits and pieces about Hollows and shinigamis. Ichi-nii hasn't really told me a lot but I now know you are not an elementary school student for sure."

He nodded, thinking that it was almost certainly a wise decision from Kurosaki. Most of the teen's antics as a shinigami had been nothing less than fatal at the best of times, chiefly due to his own recklessness. Hitsugaya could not imagine how the family would react if they found out that their beloved strawberry had brushed far too close to the death far too many times to be counted.

"Toshiro!"

Hitsugaya and Karin both turned around to find that during their short conversation, the erratic father and the frustrated son had moved quite far away from them in their ruckus which seemed to have come to an end for now. Ichigo scratched the back of his head with clear annoyance and nudged his head towards Isshin who was tending his right jaw, grunting under his breath.

"Sorry about that. That's my Pops, I forgot to warn you about him."

However there was no time for Hitsugaya to make another, hopefully better, attempt at the introduction as Isshin piped up again with dangerous glints in his jet-black eyes. Hitsugaya shook his head unnoticeably, catching the teen's 'I told you' type of exasperated look at him. He had heard about Isshin but the man really had too much energy, somehow reminding him of a certain pink terminator of the neighbouring division despite the size and colour differences.

"What do you mean 'warn you about him', Ichigo?! I only aim to understand my son's dear lo-!!"

"SHUT UP!! This is exactly why I never bring anyone! Whatever, can we now move on? Yuzu and Karin, lead the way."

The two girls nodded happily and with wailing Isshin trapped between them, ran off to the game stall they had seen, leaving behind the two boys alone. Ichigo let out another irritated groan with a scowl before he turned to face the half-stunned, half-amused prodigy with an awkward smile.

"He's a bloody raving lunatic… Hope he hasn't freaked you out too much."

"No, it was rather entertaining actually."

"That's because you are not involved. Anyway, let's catch up with them before Yuzu and Karin end up having another crisis in their hands."

Ichigo tilted his head towards the direction his family had disappeared to and let Toshiro walk in front of him so that he could relish in the sensual view of his little dragon clad in one of the best outfits he had seen. It seemed he owed Ishida some proper thanks as well. Then he grimaced at the thought; perhaps not. He would be lucky if he got a normal 'you're welcome' from that stick-up-his-ass sewing machine.

Finding their family huddled around the fish tank was not much of a problem, not with Isshin bellowing at the top of his lungs, supposedly cheering the girls. The problem was when Isshin and Yuzu decided that they wanted to get to know the white-haired boy a little better. After all, Hitsugaya Toshiro was a new addition to the orange-haired teen's friends in a long time from their point of view. And the question of how they got to know each other was the cue for hasty improvisation between the two that had never given much thought about it but surely could not tell the truth.

When they finally got to an understanding 'oh-' from the two Kurosakis, both inwardly let out a relived sigh although Hitsugaya could not quite believe they had fallen for the hurriedly made story with gaping holes. A prodigy who skipped a few years with some private family problems forcing him to stay at the teen's place during his illness which drained his hair of its original colour -whatever that might be- was not someone you came across very often.

"So that's why you were staying over at my brother's place… I'm so sorry, Hitsugaya-kun."

Hitsugaya blinked in perplexity at Yuzu who had been so attentively listening to the stammered story about his non-existent human life. To be honest, he had been mentally berating his senseless lover. Kurosaki should have given them at least some sort of buyable information about him before he would get attacked by their curiosity but then perhaps that was expecting far too much from the dorky strawberry.

"Why?"

"I can't believe you would have such a problem with your parents that you can't even stay at your own place when you are ill! That's just so sad and so…"

Yuzu looked like she was going to burst into tears at the thought while Isshin oozed of unhidden sympathy for this young boy that apparently led such a hard, difficult life despite his brilliance. Ichigo, who had been secretly wiping his forehead in relief, met the 'DO SOMETHING!' gaze of the confused and irritated captain and swiftly moved in to calm his emotional sister down.

"Now, Yuzu, don't go off crying on New Year …"

Thankfully, that seemed to get Yuzu's attention off the secretly exasperated shinigami. She let out a squeaky gasp as she pulled her wide furisode sleeve up to check her watch and the large brown eyes widened fearfully, the hand immediately snatching the sleeve of Isshin's kimono.

"Otou-san, it's nearly midnight!!"

Isshin's face reminded Hitsugaya of Matsumoto when she had just found out that the bars had run out of sake.

"Oh, no! C'mon, children, we have to hurry!!"

And with that, Yuzu, Karin and Isshin were off, whizzing past people with not a single glance behind them. Hitsugaya felt slightly weary by now of the situation. It was like spending time with drunken Matsumoto and sugar-high Kusajishi at the same time. With a small sigh, he was about to follow them at a slower pace but was unexpectedly pulled back by the substitute shinigami.

"What?"

Ichigo did not answer, only tilting his head sideways with a grin before another tug. The cherubic face turned into a confused frown but his lover followed him nevertheless as he walked through between the stalls to the outskirts of the street where an old large oak tree stood over them, hiding them in its dark shadow from any eyes that might stray off the attraction.

"Kurosaki, where are you going?"

Ichigo stopped just in front of the thick trunk of the tree and turned around to face his perplexed dragon, giving himself a good stretch. He was not very fond of bustling atmospheres and following his family around throughout the commotion was somewhat exerting even if he should be used to it. Moreover, it was about time that they actually enjoyed the coming New Year together, alone.

"We'll see them at mum's anyway. They'll just think we lost them in the crowd."

The turquoise eyes looked at him apprehensively but the captain did not say anything. They were no more than two metres away from the people-filled street yet it felt like miles away from the noisy celebration as they stood in the faintly-lit darkness, isolated from the rest of the world. Ichigo leaned against the tree and opened up his arms, to which Hitsugaya only rolled his eyes with a quiet scoff.

"You came even later than I had expected."

"I had to wait for Matsumoto to return."

Seeing that Toshiro was not going to move on his own accord, Ichigo lifted himself off the tree and reached out for the small hand. Hitsugaya did not move away but then neither did he return the hold when Ichgo gently grasped his hand. He took one or two reluctant steps towards the teen when he was pulled but he still refused to give in. Nevertheless, the conversation continued on as if there was no discreet tug-of-war going on between the two lovers.

"Was it any helpful?"

Hitsugaya frowned at the question and it only deepened when he was almost yanked this time even though he still did not take his hand back from the grasp that he knew was easy to get out of.

"You promised you would not to ask anything."

Ichigo shrugged nonchalantly.

"I guess."

The captain let out a quiet, frustrated sigh. The truth was that nothing had come up. Matsumoto had spoken with Urahara as well but even the former captain who had a knack at reading the flow of the souls had not perceived anything out of ordinary. The shoten owner confirmed the increase of the Hollow activity but he speculated that it could be entirely normal considering the number of people with high reiatsu in Karakura village. With Aizen and the Arrancars now gone, the Hollows were free to roam and hunt as they wished and Karakura was like an attractive buffet for those with low intelligence that did not link the high reryuku with the lethal danger that would befall on them should they hunt it down.

Ichigo ruffled the soft white hair that was now just a few inches away from him, bringing the scowling captain out of his thoughts, and grinned when Toshiro glared at him. He could guess from the prodigy's look that whatever Rangiku was sent away for had not gone well and decided to change the topic. It was New Year's eve, definitely not time to be depressed with work.

"What's that in your hand?"

"It's a present for your family for inviting me but with all that ruckus, I lost the timing to give it to your father."

"You didn't need to."

"It's courtesy, which I well know that you decidedly lack in."

Ichigo rolled his eyes at the stiff, curt answer and took the bag from the petite hand. He could not see what was inside due to lack of light but it seemed that there was a flat square box inside.

"What is it?"

"Wagashis or at least that's what they should be. I didn't have time to get it myself so I asked Urahara to pick one for me."

Hitsugaya shot daggers at the teen who seemed to have run out of patience as he felt a long arm slinging around his shoulders. Kurosaki might not be, but he was clearly aware of the public openness that they were subjected to at this moment. However before he could get the callused hand off him, Ichigo had bent down and was whispering softly in his ear, gently rubbing the curve of his shoulder, and it took all of his will not to shudder at the flitting sensation.

"Ishida has sure done a great job with those clothes, you look gorgeous."

Ichigo smiled when he saw the burning crimson tinting the baby cheeks, visible even in the shadow. Chuckling quietly, which earned another glare from the teal orbs, Ichigo turned his eyes to the raucous street where all sorts of sounds thrummed his eardrums; stall owners shouting out to attract customers, happy chattering between smiling people, encouragement for those who were playing games for prizes, children asking for snacks, and the almost inaudible sound of wintry breeze that swept past them. Then there was a faint countdown in a distance followed by-

"There go the fireworks."

And almost immediately, deafening bangs silenced all the other sounds as beautiful fireworks lit up the sky in various colours; red, orange, white, blue, green, and purple. There were sounds of awes from the street as the fireworks climbed up the night sky, burst into life, shone then sizzled away, one after the other.

"Any New Year wish?"

Unlike last year, Hitsugaya did not snort at the question. The emerald eyes remained on the bursts of light as they reflected each of the explosions then the white eyebrows knitted, the lips tightening into a thin line.

"…To find the killer."

Ichigo rolled his eyes at the grave answer. He did not doubt that the famed prodigy would succeed in his task so it seemed like wasting the wish on something that would happen regardless. Plus, his own wish was something much more personal.

"Out of all things you could have gone for, that's what you wish for?"

"These murders have given me a bad feeling from the beginning."

Ichigo frowned in worried perplexity. It was not the first time he had heard the comment and the tendo captain rarely talked about instincts. That coupled with the warning that his lover had given him, Ichigo could not help but question himself. Were these murders going to lead them into another War? However he quickly lost the gloomy thought as another firework flashed the dark sky in orange. It would not do to drown in Toshiro's workaholic predisposition as well.

"Fine. I'll make a wish for us on behalf of both of us then."

Hitsugaya looked up at Ichigo's face with obvious amusement in his eyes. The playful tone already warned him as to what it might be and he could not stop a smirk spreading across his usually stoic features.

"And what would that be?"

The chocolate eyes made another roll round the socket at the icy captain's wry tone and a soft, quick kiss landed on the silky soft mob of hair.

"Oh, I don't know, how does 'happy together forever' sound?"

There was a soft, amused scoff from the prodigy and Ichigo tightened his hold around the shoulders of the rather fretful captain who was evidently still bothered by the privacy of their place, or rather the lack of, as they greeted New Year together.

"Happy New Year, Toshiro."

Hitsugaya paused in his attempts to free himself from the teen and stared at him, his face set in an indecipherable mask, before he settled down next to Ichigo even when the muscular arm had left him. The turquoise eyes turned to watch the feeble light of the last firework disappear and Hitsugaya murmured as the once-disturbed night sky started to regain its shadowy blackness.

"Happy New Year, Ichigo."


	13. New Year Part II

**Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos [#12/?]**  
**Chapter rating**: PG  
**Chapter specific warning**: None  
**Chapter specific spoiler**: None

**Chapter summary**: After meeting Ichigo's mum, Hitsugaya receives an unexpected shock.

**Author's Note:**

1. **Ofukuro/kaa-chan**: Ofukuro is mostly used by men and this is how Ichigo refers to his mother in his flashbacks, although in talking to his mother's tombstone, he calls Masaki 'kaa-chan'.

2. **Aijin/koibito**: They both have love in their meaning but with a slight difference. Koibito is, for lack of a better word, a 'lighter' word than aijin. It's a word that would be used for a boyfriend/girlfriend, whereas aijin literally means a lover. : Japanese Language explains this well; _"Koi__" can be selfish but "ai" is a real love. Koi is always wanting, ai is always giving_.

PS. This is partly in reply to an anonymous review since I cannot send message to the person. I'll only say that I plan all plots out before I start writing and everything is something that had all been part of the plotline long before it's posted which means whether you get what you requested or not depends on whether I had it in my plan before or not. I'm not being rude or big-headed, I just plainly lack in creativity/felxibility.

Coincidentally while I'm on the subject, I'm actually working on Ch.21 now but because of a comment from my beta, I need to go through the later chapters again. Hence, I apologise but from now on, I will be updating only once a week, most likely on weekend, until I feel I'm safely far ahead of the posting.

PPS. Sorry for such long A/N but everyone who reviews, I really appreciate them. It's quite euphoric to receive them, especially when I've been stressing out a lot on the fiction. Thanks for all those who reviews/added this fiction to fav/alert list. The number of reviews has gone over 200 and more than 80 people are waiting to receive that alert email in their inboxes, not to mention I'm now on more than 100 people's list of their favourite authors. Thank you, all.

* * *

**:::::Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos by Kanon Ch.12::::: _New Year Part II_**

* * *

It was when the bustling crowd at the night market started to dissipate that they moved to the bottom of the uphill road that led to the graveyard and just as Ichigo had predicted, they found the rest of the family waiting for them there. Yuzu was unhappy that she did not have everyone together for the countdown, atypically harrumphing at her brother, so instead, Ichigo gave her piggy-back up the hill as compensation and she was soon the happiest girl, contently chirping away on her beloved brother's back.

Hitsugaya followed the family just a step behind as they walked up the long, slanted road to give them some private family time that he had unintentionally taken away, the sea-green eyes fixed on Yuzu and Ichigo with a small smile. It was obvious how tight the family was woven together even if physical violence rioted between the father and the son almost every minute and the way Ichigo watched over the twins reminded him of himself with what it had once been like with Hinamori. It was the look of a brother who would do anything to protect his sisters, whatever the price might be.

After a rather long walk, they finally arrived at the graveyard and Hitsugaya was proven to be very wrong in his thinking -hoping?- that Isshin would sober up and quieten down at least when they werepaying respect to their late family member. In the end, the unbelievable amount of energy that allowed Isshin to be loud enough to wake up _and_ entertain the dead earned another smashing kick right into his face from irritated Karin. Hitsugaya lowered his head to hide the tiny tug at the corner of his lips as the wailing man tumbled all the way down the road they had just walked up until he vanished from their view while Karin simply turned back to Masaki as if nothing had happened. Ichigo just sighed exasperatedly. At least his boyfriend did not seem too freaked out by the near-psychotic state of the man he called his father.

After the girls had offered their New Year greetings to their mum, Ichigo asked them to go ahead to the nearby shrine. Surprisingly, the girls did not complain at all about yet another separation from their brother, contently tottering away in their zoris. As for Isshin, the man had yet to return from wherever he had ended up after Karin's Olympic-quality kick.

Once they were left just by themselves in the quiet graveyard, Ichigo took his place in front of the tombstone, squatting down to be at eyelevel with his mother. The grey headstone was clean and well-kept as usual and the brown eyes bore into the black carving on the stone that read 'Kurosaki' as he silently apologised for his long absence.

Then with a lopsided smile, Ichigo glanced over his shoulder. His lover was still standing at the same place as before, just a step behind him, watching him with unreadable eyes, and he gestured for the small shinigami to come over. The sparkling jewels blinked once before Ichigo had his yuki hime standing next to him and he turned his gaze back to the charming woman that had been the centre of his family.

"Happy New Year, Kaa-chan. Look, I have someone I want you to meet. This is Toshiro, my…"

A short silence followed and Hitsugaya arched an eyebrow uncomfortably when he caught the odd twitching at a corner of the teen's lips, already getting a bad feeling for what was to come out of the strawberry's senseless brain.

"…?"

"…wife. Ouch!!! I was only kidding! Take a joke for a joke!"

Ichigo rubbed the top of his head where Toshiro had smacked with not so little spiritual power, wincing at the pain, then flailed his arms when the annoyed captain made to land another hit. Cringing at the soreness, Ichigo stood back up, attempting to ignore the death glares from his lover who looked ready to punch him in his gut at the first sign of finding this remotely amusing. He was fairly sure he had just gained another inch in his height quite unintentionally.

"Kaa-chan. Umm…"

Hitsugaya merely huffed when the hazelnut eyes landed on him with a raised eyebrow as if the teen was trying to find the right word to describe him.

"Well… You see, this violent brat here…"

There was a quiet 'che' next to him but Ichigo continued as if he did not hear it.

"His name is Hitsugaya Toshiro and… well, he's my aijin. Ah damn, that really hurts, Toshiro. You've given me a bad bruise."

Hitsugyaa ignored the teen's complaint, having already noticed the faint blush on Ichigo's face, and was certain his was on the same fire. They were both clearly aware of what they shared but neither of them had ever so directly and bluntly put them into words to others. Even with Matsumoto, the all important word 'aijin' had never come up.

Having somewhat recovered from his adorable prince's not-so-adorable hit, Ichigo tousled the silky spikes before hugging the small boy from behind. He simply tightened his hold when Toshiro fretted to escape him and the attempt lasted only a few seconds, the captain swiftly stilling when he bent down and kissed the cherry red cheek. The heat was practically palpable on his slightly chapped lips that tasted the soft milky skin and with a quiet chuckle, Ichigo nestled his head on the white tuft before continuing on.

"Kaa-chan, this is the one I've promised to protect. I dragged him out all the way from Soul Society for you to see him."

Hitsugaya stayed quiet and very much motionless. Masaki's death was no news to him. It had once come up when they had been talking about Kurosaki's earlier days as a shinigami before Kuchiki Rukia was taken away, including the Grand Fisher incident. His empathy had yet to disappear back then and the intensity of happiness and sadness he had received at the time told him far better than any words could have done about the importance of the gentle, loving woman for his lover. In reality, the soul of Kurosaki Masaki was lost to the atrocious Grand Fisher but to the family, she still lived on.

"Right… So Toshiro, what can I say about you to my mum?"

"...Boke."

Ichigo chuckled but had to quickly add some strength into his arms as Toshiro nearly succeeded in disentangling himself from the embrace. He could not see the cherubic face from where he was but no doubt it was blossoming in blazing red, wearing the perpetual scowl. Once he was sure that his lover was not going to be out of his arms anytime soon, Ichigo spoke in mock pensiveness, tilting his head left and right with every point he made.

"Let's see. Toshiro's the youngest taichou ever and a damn clever one, too. His Hyourinmaru is the strongest ice-snow type which means I gotta watch out for any frostbites. I mean, sure he is not all faultless. He scowls endlessly, he is fatally obsessed with work, he always ruins the mood and calls me an idiot, and he's such an irritable brat all the time."

Numerous angry veins spoilt the sweet-well, not quite so at this moment- face and the knitted white eyebrows continued to twitch with every 'flaw' mentioned. Hitsugaya gritted his teeth as his hands tightened around the teen's arm in a vice-like grip in effort to stop retorting lest he ruins the mood, whatever it was right now. It was apparently one of his 'faults'.

Then the voice above him changed softer and the quiet words ringing so close to his ears had his irritation disappear in a flash like it had never been there before.

"But that's why I love this kid and even if he rarely says it, he loves me too." Then Ichigo shot a mischievous glance down at the snowy crown that he was nuzzling, "At least I think he does anyway." A kiss, slightly longer than usual, landed on the spikes followed by a large intake of air, soft chuckles minutely shaking the naturally bleached tendrils. "Guess it's more than perfect, ne?"

Ichigo gave a lopsided smile at his mum, trying to drive out the blood that had rushed to his face. It had taken a long time, very possibly much longer than it should have, but he had finally broken the big news to the one that perhaps needed to know it more than anyone else in his family. To know that her son she had died to save could now smile again even if a hint of regret would never disappear, all because of the white-haired 'brat' who was now gently rubbing his arm in a silent, rare gesture of comfort and understanding.

Gently catching the small hand, Ichigo brought it up to his lips with adoring affection, at which the cloud-topped head lowered even further, digging deeper into the black scarf that starkly contrasted the pristine mob of hair and the flawless baby cheeks even if they were turning into several shades of red at the moment.

"I promise you, kaa-chan. This time, I'll keep my words true no matter what. I'll live up to my name."

Hitsugaya decided to let the overprotection slip just for this one time, feeling the slow rise and fall of the broad chest pressed flush against his back, because he knew it was not simple physical injuries the teen was referring to. Because they did not want to protect each other's lives only but wanted to protect each other's laughter and smiles, their memories, their souls; their love.

A long, comfortable silence followed the determined promise. Ichigo buried his face in the crook of the slender neck to lay chaste kisses, drawing small goose bumps on the smooth skin as he slowly moved up the slick line along the involuntarily inclined neck. Hitsugaya remained utterly silent, only his returned hand flitting across the arms around him in delicate, tender caresses as he let out a muted, shaky breath at the butterfly kisses that were now warming his cheek before sliding back down.

There were times like this that the teen almost hurriedly lost himself in their own world, simply having to pour out his love, and Hitsugaya had learnt that those were also the times when the substitute shinigami was immensely emotional, whether it be ups or downs or just pure storms of everything. They were both learning new ways of quelling their mental gales and if the captain's way of soothing his inner blizzard was to listen to his lover's heartbeats, this was how Kurosaki worked off his helplessly lost energy and too many of those times had led to something more than either had planned at the beginning.

"…Ichigo."

Ichigo could not tell exactly how long they had been standing there in blissful stillness but knew it must have been quite some time before his little dragon broke the serenity. He stayed happily nuzzled in the marshmallow-soft tuft, wrapped in the snowy scent, and only hummed in response, at which the dainty hand that had been running along his arm stopped in its track.

"…I…"

A rather lengthy silence abruptly but expectedly entered the whispered conversation before it was shyly broken again.

"…I do love you."

Ichigo smiled at the barely audible words and planted another kiss.

"I know."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hitsugaya walked along the narrow dusty road that led to the shrine from the graveyard, enjoying the crisp night air. Ichigo had stayed behind, wishing to speak to his mother a little longer by himself, and they had agreed to meet up at the shrine. The old, sandy road was made with a sole purpose of connecting the graveyard and the shrine and as the time had long grown late with the silvery moon hanging high in the jet-black sky, the young captain was the only one walking through the silent darkness.

The air was so quiet and at such a standstill that it was as if all the living had fallen under the night's spell, all sounds sucked out of the world. Not a single dry leaf bristled in the wintry breeze and out of habit, even Hitsugaya's footsteps were inaudible as the converse trainers firmly but silently tread across the aged, worn-out path.

Glancing up at the shimmering sky once in a while through the bare, sorry-looking branches, Hitsugaya continued to follow the path that wound around the mountain, one turn followed by the next. It was a longer walk than he had expected but with the chilly wind whirling around him softly before fluttering away, Hitsugaya found the peace and quiet favourable, his mind still in the almost numbing after-effect of the time back in the graveyard. Sometimes, silence could speak of so much more than words and when it did, the impact was enchanting even for the stoic captain who remained unflinching by most of what life could throw at him.

However when Hitsugaya turned around yet another corner, he had to come to a stop at an unexpected figure standing in the way.

"Kurosaki-san."

Isshin waved his hand with a friendly smile on his face. Hitsugaya could see the lights from the shrine at the far end of the road behind the man -he had finally arrived- and speculated that the doctor had been on his way to fetch them since it was not a short time they had remained at the tombstone.

"Hitsugaya taichou, can I have a word with you?"

Or not.

The turquoise eyes widened with surprise and bewilderment before wariness shut the usual frosty curtains over the gleaming jewels. Hitsugaya remembered very well the time Kurosaki had told him about the zero reryuku his father possessed, Yuzu only slightly better than the old man.

Isshin laughed good-heartedly at the obvious guardedness in the striking orbs. The aura around the captain was instantly notched up a level in its sharpness, the aloofness making swift return, even if nothing on the face changed. The doctor placed his hands on his hips with a grin, seemingly enjoying the short-lasted astonished look on the young shinigami's face. When the last hidden streak of shock disappeared, Isshin took one more step forward towards the white-haired prodigy so that Hitsugaya could hear him with his lowered voice.

"Chill, I know because I was once what you are. None of my family knows about it so I'd appreciate it if you keep it to yourself."

After looking at the man for a moment in an unreadable frown, Hitsugaya nodded, now the curiosity taking over him. Isshin looked surprisingly… normal now and the weirdness of it was like seeing sober Matsumoto diligently working through papers out of her own will. How and what an ex-shinigami was doing, having a human family in the real world, was beyond him but most of all, it amazed him that Isshin had managed to hide it perfectly from his reryuku-charged family. And exactly how much of Ichigo's second identity did the man know? However the conversation turned to an unexpected topic for the captain when Isshin spoke again.

"Correct me if I'm wrong and if I am, feel free to hit me, but am I right in guessing that my son is in a relationship with you?"

Isshin did not need to hear the answer to that in words. The cherry-red flush that instantly flared on the tendo's face was more than enough. Chuckling at the stiffness gripping the small body, he patted the younger one's shoulder and Hitsugaya could not help but feel a wave of relief washing over him even if none showed on his creased face.

It had not taken his gifted brilliance to realise from the beginning that the orange-haired teen had not told his family about the true depth of their relationship. Hitsugaya knew why; with him being ever so private with it, Kurosaki probably decided to wait for his agreement first even if it was his own family. Nevertheless, the captain was not going to object to it when Kurosaki would bring up the subject. Although involuntarily, Inoue, Sado and Ishida, even Urahara and Shihouin, were aware of their budding romance and even if Hitsugaya did not plan to advertise it, this was his lover's family they were talking about.

The decision, in the end, would lie with Kurosaki because it was his family but Hitsugaya was not going to try to change whatever conclusion the teen came to.

Having said that, the prodigy definitely did not want this to come out in a wrong way. How their story was revealed was very important not just for him, but for all of them, since it was no normal relationship they held in many aspects. On top of it, Isshin apparently knew from the start that he was not a human prodigy with family problems and illness but a shinigami captain in Soul Society.

"Don't get so nervous. I admit it's bit of a shock that my son is in love with another guy, moreover, a shinigami and a tensai (AN: genius) taichou at that. But if that's what makes him happy, he's got my support."

Feeling a little uneasy at where the conversation landed on, Hitsugaya only nodded, not trusting himself to speak yet. Matsumoto walking in on them was one thing but talking about it so openly with Kurosaki's father all by himself was quite the other. On the other hand, the doctor was apparently merely amused as he scratched his bearded chin.

"I've been wondering what on earth was going on with that boy for some time now. He seemed to be enjoying his life a lot more than before and kept disappearing off to somewhere and I knew it was nothing to do with Hollow attacks."

"…That would be when he came to Soul Society."

Isshin bobbed his head up and down slowly with a huge grin as the blazing red that had just left the small captain returned in full force. Now a lot of things were making sense to him. With Hitsugaya's empathy, the doctor had not had much chance to see his eldest son last year but lately whenever Ichigo came over, he could not help but notice the less creased forehead, the subtle curls at the corner of his son's lips and most of all, the energetic, lively sparkles in the brown eyes that Ichigo got from his mother; even Isshin could not fathom where the vibrant orange locks came from.

It was during the fateful dinner that he finally understood the reason behind the elusive but pleasing changes in his son who he knew had been bearing too much weight on those broad but young shoulders since a long time ago. However the real surprise was when Yuzu mentioned the name 'Hitsugaya'. It was a name that he had heard often from a certain sly shoten owner, especially for the year that had just gone by.

"Urahara's told me quite a bit about you."

Hitsugaya blinked. Urahara was aware of what Kurosaki's father really was? Now the prodigy was not sure what he should be more surprised about; the fact that the crazy father of Ichigo was actually an ex-shinigami with one hell of control over his reiatsu unlike his son -and could behave just like any other mentally normal people- or the fact that Urahara Kisuke, of all people, kept the latest development between him and the substitute shinigami secret even to the teen's father. After all, _he_ had been the one to pry upon their allegedly private farewells. Even after the War, the deceptively devious man was still hard to understand.

"You know Urahara?"

"One of a few I had been unfortunate enough to become friends with. He warned me about your empathy so I kept the girls away while you were at Ichigo's place. I'm glad you've made good recovery."

Hitsugaya remained suspicious if that was indeed all that the erratic shoten owner had said about him to the equally erratic man in front of him but decided not to venture into it. He did not have to be initiative to such extent when dealing with the likes of Urahara and Matsumoto, especially with regards to none other than himself.

"Arigato."

"Hitsugaya taichou."

The obsidian eyes bore into the sea-green ones with grave seriousness, the doctor's face morphed into a saddened smile.

"I know what torment Ichigo has gone through since his mother's death and how he blamed himself for it. Being the kind of father I am, I've never been much of a help but I have always wished for his happiness. I'm proud of that kid, he is strong. But this world had not been the nicest for him. I don't mind who he finds his happiness in but please, do not hurt him."

Hitsugaya almost gulped at how solemn the man looked, genuine sincerity conveyed by the jet-black eyes looking deep into his. Was this the same man that rocketed his son and got kicked by his daughter just a while ago? The Kurosaki children had surely never seen this side of their father who obviously worried about them more than they would ever know. He looked at the doctor who oozed of care and love for his eldest son for a few moments before breaking the silence with a small nod.

"…Don't worry, Kurosaki-san. I have…", the flustered rosiness returned, "…no intention of leaving him."

The answer seemed to have pleased the older man as Isshin smiled at the boy genius. How Ichigo fell for the stiff captain and moreover, how on earth he got Hitsugaya to accept him, Isshin would never know but it seemed his son had finally found his bliss he so deserved even if it was not in the most expected form. In whatever way this relationship had come to take place, he could tell that their personalities were strangely well-matched for each other even in the short time he had seen the two interact. Ichigo relaxed the stiff prodigy and Hitsugaya kept the hot-headed teen cool.

However before he could say anything else, they both felt Ichigo's reiatsu nearing where they were and in a fraction of a second, Isshin was swiftly back to the eccentric Dr. Kurosaki, his voice booming loud enough to make Hitsugaya slightly cringe even when he had expected the change.

"Hitsugaya-kun, where's my stupid son? Has he got lost on a one-way path??"

"What the hell are you saying, goat-face?!"

As they had expected, Ichigo's annoyed voice replied around the corner and the substitute shinigami appeared with an irritated scowl on his face. Isshin victoriously pointed his finger at the frowning teen and shouted gleefully, Hitsugaya watching him with a mildly raised eyebrow all the while.

"Kurosaki Ichigo! You are late! Karin and Yuzu have already finished so we are going to go now!"

"Hah?!"

"If you didn't want bad luck for a year, you should have come here in time!!! I'm getting the girls then we are going back!!"

And with acrazed laugh that rivalled Don Kanonji's infamous BWAHAHA, Isshin was gone before either of them could even show their bewilderment on their faces, shouting Karin and Yuzu's name at top of his lungs. Ichigo sighed behind his father's fast receding back before turning his attention to his lover.

"I wondered why you were hanging around here. Pops didn't say anything stupid, did he?"

"…No."

Ichigo bent an uncertain gaze upon the white-haired captain at the delayed answer but did not ask anymore when Toshiro simply snorted at him. Probably the raving lunatic of his father had managed to freak out the aloof captain with his craziness at last. Hitsugaya nudged his head towards the glowing lights in a distance, glancing at the teen.

"Didn't you want to go to the shrine?"

A nonchalant shrug said enough of the teen's opinion on the question.

"I don't really mind. I didn't go last year either but I had fairly good luck, I'd say."

"You think going through all that War with Aizen was having good luck?

"Can't be good all year round. Look what I've ended up with, though. More than enough to outwin that shitty part."

Ichigo threw in a meaningful wink at which Hitsugaya rolled his eyes with a slight curl at his lips. Last New Year was not something either of them would forget easily, Hitsugaya having given the teen a near heart attack when he blanked out from the Hollows on the way to the shrine. Since then, they had gone through many unexpected turns and now, here they stood, bearing feelings any of the living souls would think impossible for each other.

Then they heard the sounds of wooden zori hitting the earthy ground echoing around the empty air and turned to see the girls and Isshin running towards them. Yuzu and Karin insisted that they would wait for them to pay a visit to the shrine but Ichigo reassured them that there was no need, backed up by Isshin who announced that the time had grown too late for the girls now, acting like a father for the first time tonight. The twins still hesitated until Ichigo gave them a little push on their backs and the family was soon on way back home, Karin and Yuzu holding each of Isshin's hands.

Ichigo watched the back of his family with an exasperated scoff. His sisters, however much they complained about their father, loved the old man and unfortunately, he cared about the crazy doctor as well, even if he would never say it out loud. Then he turned around to look at Toshiro who calmly returned the gaze without a word and he smiled.

His family was with him and his lover was with him. Ichigo had all the people that he loved the most with him and there was no doubt that this was the best New Year he had ever had, even if Toshiro had to leave all too early for his liking. A gentle surge of bliss started to spread throughout his soul like a soft ripple on a calm surface of a lake and with a goofy grin, he stretched out his hand to his yuki hime.

"Let's go, Toshiro."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hitsugaya stole a quick glance at the orange-haired teen walking next to him, the familiar image a little hazed by the puffs of white fog from his breath in the chilly winter air. The street was wrapped in the dark cloak of the night, only broken by dim streetlamps as the thick cover of clouds appeared from nowhere to hide the moon. There was such complete silence around them that it would have been almost frightening had the town been under an undisrupted shadow.

The two of them were currently on the way to the Urahara shoten. The family had tried their best to persuade the prodigy to stay over for the night but in the end, it was Hitsugaya who had won, which was no surprise for Ichigo who had already predicted the outcome. It had been somewhat of a miracle on its own that the workaholic captain managed to pull himself away from his duties that had just grown even heavier and contrast to what he had said before, two hours had already elapsed since his arrival in the real world but the small shinigami had yet to say a word about returning to Soul Society save the short line of reasoning with his family.

The emerald eyes now moved from the teen's face down the long arm to the entwined hands where a large, callused one gently grasped, caressed, shielded a smaller, soft one. After entering an entirely empty street, Kurosaki had grabbed his hand without any warning, taking him by surprise, and when the private captain stiffened at the openness of the gesture and the place, the teen only gave him a playful yet reassuring wink, pulling him along the way.

Hitsugaya smiled a little, burying his face in the black scarf so that Kurosaki could not see it. His hands had been unusually cold when he did not know how to keep his reiatsu controlled and when they were young, living in Rukongai, Hinamori used to try to warm his hands with her equally small ones, worries etched on her delicate face, regardless of his protests that it was normal temperature for them.

Every summer, Hinamori had managed to get watermelons from somewhere, cooled and sweet, and every winter, she would throw blankets, scarves, and gloves over him, all of which he simply tossed back to her, not missing the little shivering her body was going through. Once they both became shinigamis and subsequently, ranked officers, it had become something of a past with their pressing responsibilities and Hinamori's 'admiration' of her captain, but at present, as they walked through the cold street, his right hand was cocooned in his lover's comforting heat and his left one tingled with the intense rhythmic beating of the silver ring.

"Hey, Toshiro."

Ichigo looked down in a slight confusion when he felt the prodigy getting uncharacteristically startled and the sea-green eyes quickly averted their gaze away, the small face burying deeper into the black scarf. The orange eyebrow arched up since Ichigo knew the captain's 'I'm-never-cold-even-in-Antarctic' type of unrealistically high tolerance of freezing temperature but the brown eyes soon caught the hint of pink flush that the soft scarf could not all hide and he swallowed the amused chuckles. If he knew anything about Toshiro, which he did, he had just caught his lover musing on something rather nice about him or their togetherness.

A crooked smile tugged his lips upwards and Ichigo stroked the smooth skin of the dainty hand. How it stayed so flawless and baby-soft even after years of wielding Hyourinmaru, he would never know.

"Are you sleeping okay now?"

"…You know I rarely get to sleep properly anyway."

Of course Toshiro would never say such things directly but the answer had been enough for Ichigo to understand the real truth. Ichigo let out a small sigh, secretly cursing his situation. If it had not been to help his father at the clinic, he would have dropped everything and rushed to Soul Society to hold and protect his baby dragon, obliterating all the work and the hurtful memories from the praised but overworked mind. However as the reality stood, he could not dump his part on Yuzu and simply take his leave, not for another few weeks.

_Guess I'm just lucky that they don't mind me coming anymore_, Ichigo thought to himself. Since the War, he had been granted a rather special status in Soul Society even though he was still taken to be outside of Gotei 13's jurisdiction. For him, it could not have come at any better time. The Head Captain's generosity had given him the freedom to travel between the two worlds at his wish, even a hell butterfly was allowed to accompany him just like other full-fledged shinigamis.

Shuddering a little from theknife-sharp wind cutting into his thick kimono, Ichigo scowled at the near-future prospect of letting his lover return to the appalling amount of work and the dark nights alone and tightly clutched the dainty hand. However the face soon smoothed out into a gentle, content smile when the small one firmly returned the grasp with matching strength and with a quick sideway glance at the lowered pure white spikes, Ichigo surrendered to the cruel reality with all the reluctance in the world. _Just three more weeks_, he told himself; just three more weeks and once Karin was back, he would be free to shunpo faster than his prone-to-be-naked cat-teacher to Seireitei, to one prickly snowball.

And just like that, Ichigo looking straight ahead of him and Hitsugaya fixedly gazing sideways with veiled cherry blossom on his face but their hands firmly tangled together, they walked through the quiet street, their matching footsteps echoing softly in the orange-lit air.


	14. New Year discovery

**Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos [#13/?]**  
**Chapter rating**: PG  
**Chapter specific warning**: None  
**Chapter specific spoiler**: None

**Chapter summary**: Rukia is left perplexed and Ichigo's plan for the night abruptly changes.

**Author's Note:**

1. **Tsubokura Rin** is one of the Tech. Dept. researchers. I don't think he ever came up in manga but he has made a quite few appearances in anime including Ep 125, Ep 131 and Ep 134. He's very timid, clumsy and loves sweets and cakes. In his first trip to the real world, Hanatarou had accompanied him -- the weakest pair possible in current Bleach cast. *laugh*

2. **Dangai** is the space between Soul Society and the real world. It's the area that Ichigo and lot had to run for their lives.

3. **Washi paper** is the paper that goes over the wooden frame of shoji door.  


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**:::::Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos by Kanon Ch.13::::: _New Year discovery_  
**

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"For god's sake… I didn't think Hollows hold their own feasts for New Year."

Rin laughed nervously at the clear annoyance from the petite vice-captain of the 13th division as he skimmed through the line-covered graph that the snail-like machine was throwing out. There had been some information needed to be taken in the real world for one of the researches at the Technological Department but because of New Year, most of the shinigamis had been off-duty which resulted in the current situation where the famous adopted sister of the Kuchiki leader stood guarding him against any threats in one of the deserted parks in Karakura village.

The wintry air of the human realm was not ignorable as he was proving with layers of clothes he was wearing but Kuchiki Rukia, as expected from the ice-snow type zanpaktou wielder, seemed pretty undeterred by the whirling breeze that rustled the dried branches rather ghostly, even though the usual shihakushou was the only garment protecting her from the chilly temperature. The adjutant insignia of the 13th division was visible in the same place as the previous vice-captain, Shiba Kaien, and the raven-haired shinigami's hand rested casually on the hilt of her zanpaktou at her waist.

Looking up at the darkened sky with a tousle of her hair, Rukia took out her mobile from the shihakushou, flipping it open to see a blank screen for once. With the unexplained increase of Hollows, it had been beeping almost every minute and frankly, she was getting a little irritated with the constant flood of weaklings although it did make her job easy since none of them took longer than a few seconds to purify.

An appearance of a shinigami had never caused such upheaval before in this village, partly because of Ichigo's leaking reiatsu swamping the whole town which made it difficult for Hollows to locate the shinigami just as the reiatsu clouded the shinigami's spiritual sense. However since the substitute shinigami had learnt to rein in his reiatsu, things had become both easier, yet also harder for shinigamis turning up in Karakura village. Well, when he decided to keep a lid on it, that is, because Ichigo never gave much attention to it usually, but such seemed to be the case tonight as the wintry atmosphere remained void of the familiar reiatsu anywhere within the radius that her senses could reach.

Rukia gave out a small laugh at the old memory of when they had first met. She had surprised Ichigo by entering his room out of nowhere, through a solid wall no less, and then he had surprised her by actually kicking her butt very successfully. In fact, the whole evening had been one surprise after the other. Back then, when she was explaining what a shinigami was, detailing her job, to the restrained teen on the floor, she had never imagined how things would change in the next few minutes and just what would spiral out from their encounter.

A small, gracious smile softened her cobalt blue eyes that had been on the constant lookout for any problems. Rukia never said it because she knew Ichigo would not hear of it but in her heart, she knew she owed the orange-haired teen more than others knew of. It was not just her life that Ichigo had saved back at Soukyouku, but her place at the Kuchiki clan, her friendship with Renji, her Rukongai family, and her noble family where now Byakuya actually looked at her in all earnest hidden behind that impenetrable stoic mask. She giggled quietly; was she going to have to add Renji in there now instead of Rukongai famiy?

With a small content sigh escaping her lips, Rukia looked up at the black sky, smiling at the twinkling stars and the glittering moon. The silvery light that the lunar graced the world with always felt somewhat mysterious to Rukia. It was bright light yet at same time, it was not. It shone dazzlingly up in the sky, its forever changing shape in glistening white on the endless canvas where jet-black ink had been generously spilt over with dollops of smudges here and there from the cotton-like clouds. However none of that soft yet harsh light reached the ground far below it. It simply stayed huddled in the arms of its goddess, merely watching the living souls in its unreachable place.

It could not have been any more different than a certain lunar-named zanpaktou wielder who she knew would not hesitate to jump into the murky dirt for the sake of his family and friends.

Spreading out her reiatsu just a little once more, Rukia searched for not just any Hollows but for the untamed, wild one belonging to the substitute shinigami. However just like her first time, her search only came back blank. She shrugged it off nonchalantly. It was New Year and she knew Ichigo would be out with his family. He was probably reining it in to prevent Hollows ruining their festive night. After all, she had been there to witness his last New Year and knew it had not quite been the best.

"Kuchiki fukutaichou, I'm sorry you had to come out on New Year. I'm sure you had a celebration back home."

Tsubokura had not personally met the girl that had apparently held Hougyouku in her body but the surname 'Kuchiki' had been enough to give him a panic attack when he first heard that the 13th division vice-captain would be accompanying him to the real world. Even Hanatarou's hours-long reassurance had failed to calm down the fretting researcher. However, just like the Seventh Seat had said, Rukia had been more than kind-hearted and understanding of his clumsiness and his constant interest in sweet distractions called cakes, easily taking itall in a stride. She had even promised a visit to a cake shop together before returning to Soul Society.

"Don't worry. Kuchiki taichou is also on duty tonight so I'm not missing out anything. Anyway, I like coming to Karakura village."

"Is it because of Kurosaki-san?"

The large eyes blinked back at him in surprise and Tsubokura laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"I… I'm sorry. It's just, well, everyone knows what happened and… Kurosaki-san is always with you when he's in Soul Society and…"

Rukia smiled to calm down the nervous researcher, fixing her grip on her sealed zanpaktou. The question had startled her but Tsubokura's hasty explanation had just triggered a different trail of thoughts in her head, something a lot more recent than her first encounter with the orange-haired teen.

It was true that Ichigo never failed to visit her when he came to Soul Society but she knew that she was not the only one he came for. Of course, Ichigo had many other shinigami friends including the third where Ichimaru still freaked Ichigo out with his feely-touchy hugs and the 11th division members who were still looking for that one chance to get the teen drunk in collaboration with the ninth but there was one person that the substitute shinigami seemed to always visit before he went off to see anyone else and it was the identity of the person that confused her a little; the young prodigy captain of the tenth division.

Rukia doubted if anyone else had noticed it. The teen's trip to the tenth division was always atypically quiet and subtle and unless you were carefully tracking his reiatsu from the moment it entered Seireitei, it would be impossible to tell where it had suddenly vanished to.

She had been the only one bar the captains who had previously known of Hitsugaya's rather unique condition but even with the prodigy's extensive stays in the human world, Rukia did not think they would develop such aclose friendship. The frosty captain was not too unlike her own step-brother, renowned for his lack of interest in pretty much everything other than his work and the thick, palpable iciness surrounding, usually impassable to anyone save Matsumoto Rangiku who brought out the tendo's temperamental side with a quite brilliant success rate.

However Rukia did not question the teen about it. Ichigo was free to befriend anyone he wanted. After all, they were just friends, too.

…Right?

It was a question presented to her so many times by the others since the dramatic rescue and a question that she always answered straight away with a little choking on whatever she happened to have in her mouth at the time. Of course, they were friends. If not, they were nakamas who looked out for each other. With more history than anyone could think of, crammed in such a short span of time, it was no surprise that Renji, Rukia and Ichigo shared more than simple friendship.

However even with all the silence from the substitute shinigami regarding the young prodigy, Rukia was no fool and after months, she was starting to realise that they were now not the only ones who shared a deep bond with Ichigo. Rather, quite possibly, there might be even deeper one in place between the unlikely pair, considering how the captain seemed to be always on top of Ichigo's list.

She remembered that day. It had been a rare occasion where Byakuya, Renji and Rukia all had a day off and were enjoying a relaxing Sunday at the Kuchiki mansion when Ichigo had paid yet another visit and that was the first time she had seen him with Hitsugaya since the captain had returned from his second sick-leave. It had been a little surprising for her and she speculated the same went for Renji. The late fifth division vice-captain had been the only one who could pull the irritable prodigy away from the tenth division for reasons other than his duty and neither of them had ever imagined that the next one to succeed in the apparently impossible task would be the impulsive orange-haired teen.

Tsubokura looked up at the silence and went to pieces when he noticed the faint frown on the raven-haired girl's face, mentally asking no one in particular why he had to be so clumsy and clueless all the time. However before he could present any apology, the usual beeping sound shattered the still night air and Rukia had already flipped her mobile open, checking the screen with an exasperated look.

"It's only a few metres away so I'll be back soon. The area is clear save this one so you should be safe if you stay here, Rin."

"Hai, Kuchiki fukutaichou."

Rukia gently grasped the panicky researcher's shoulder in assurance before shunpoing off to where the red dot on her mobile screen was flashing. From the indication, it seemed it was another puny Hollow, much to her frustration.

Hopping from one roof to the next with the high-pitched beeps scratching her eardrums in the silent night, she had been about halfway to her destination when she suddenly stopped in mid-air. With the distance between her and them, it was hard to see clearly but that unruly orange mess and the gravity-defying spikes of pristine whiteness were unmistakable. It was surely Ichigo walking together with Hitsugaya through the dimly lit street.

Following their rather slow walk with her eyes, Rukia inclined her head slightly in puzzlement. What was Hitsugaya doing out in the real world, more importantly, with Ichigo? Since she could not see any white-coloured garment on him, she was fairly positive the captain was in his gigai. What on earth could have possibly brought a captain-class shinigami all the way out to the real world and taken him to the substitute shinigami?

However before she could linger on the puzzling subject anymore, the screeching alert sound snapped her attention back to the task in her hand and with one last glance over her shoulder at the unexpected picture, she took off again, leaving the mindboggling scene behind her back.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Surprisingly, the small -_cough_shabby_cough_- shoten was still brightly lit when Hitsugaya and Ichigo arrived, yellow light spilling over the sandy ground along with loud and most definitely drunk voices belonging to Urahara and Yoruichi quite clear even in the large yard outside the shoten. Ichigo chuckled when he noticed the returned grimace on his lover's face; inebriated Urahara and Yoruichi were not exactly the easiest people to deal with, especially not for the icy prodigy even with his lifelong experience with Rangiku. Giving a tug at the soft hand in his, Ichigo slid open the shoten door but stopped dead in his track at the scene that greeted him inside.

The inside was… well, trashed. Millions of things that they could not even begin to wonder where they had been stashed away in this seemingly tiny shoten were thrown about everywhere, not just in the shop area, but the room behind the shoji doors as well. Tessai was no difficult one to find even in the chaos that reminded them of a meteor strike although it took a little longer to notice the two small children in the mess, sitting on top of a small heap of what seemed like unopened snack bags, Jinta looking disgruntled as usual and Ururu, anxious. However, before either of them could say anything, a blur shot through into the shop from side, startling them, then abruptly stopped at the sight of the two alarmed boys.

"Ah? Hey, Ichigo!!"

Ichigo threw his hand over his eyes, feeling volcanic heat erupting on his face, while the turquoise eyes widened with surprise and most definitely, displeasure.

"Yoruichi-san!! Clothes!! Clothes!!"

"You are still fun to tease. Kisuke almost caught me in a game of tag in my cat form so I just transformed. Oh, tendo, you here as well?"

And this time, before Hitsugaya could say anything whether it be a cursed reprimand for the ex-Onmitsukidou Commander or a simple grunt, another, this time green, blob flew into the shop and very nearly crashed into the very much naked, golden-eyed woman who smirked at the triumphant-looking figure.

"I win! Yes!!"

"No, you don't 'cuz I stopped for them," Yoruichi said proudly, pointing at two stunned figures at the door, "so this one doesn't count."

"You don't have to be so stingy!! You've already won 18 out of 20!"

"Which makes this my 20th win so you have to… Wait, let's change it."

Ichigo and Hitsugaya were watching the immature and illogical bantering between two ex-captains who were still somewhat of a legend between the shinigamis then stiffened involuntarily when the maniacally grinning -and naked- woman turned to them with a dangerous glint in her drunken feline eyes. Suddenly, Ichigo did not care so much about the lack of clothes on Yoruichi while Hitsugaya wanted to simply bolt out of the shop and get far, far away from the mental people in front of him even if it meant another hour of delay in his return to Soul Society.

And their instincts did not disappoint them. Or rather, it did.

"Kisuke, get them!! It's our chance to try all my fantasies with them!!"

"Yes, madame!"

"HAH?!"

And before Ichigo could take even a step back, Urahara was already on the move, surprisingly fast for an evidently intoxicated person, but his hands had to come to a halt before reaching his regular customers at the deep frost spreading throughout the shop, the sudden chill momentarily snapping him back into sanity, or at least as sane as he got. The blonde shoten owner had not quite forgotten what had happened in his first visit to Soul Society since exile when he had quietly and meticulously stepped over the line with the tenth division captain.

Hitsugaya did not reel in his icy reiatsu even when Urahara seemingly woke up from his trashed state and flashed his usual swindler-like grin. He inwardly sighed in relief, contrary to the greatly discontented scowl on his face, at managing to save himself from whatever trauma he could have been subjected to. His rather notorious wrath once exploded, coupled with the physical manifestation of the Soul Society's strongest ice-snow type zanpaktou, was more than a lifesaver in situations like this.

"Oi, tendo, it's New Year! Let's have some fun, eh? I'm sure you had great time on your birthday!!"

The teal orbs shot daggers at the slurred droning from Yoruichi who reminded the prodigy of his vice-captain a little too much for his liking. Just his luck, wasn't it, to end the perfect New Year with another of the sloppiest, most inebriated women he had been unfortunate enough to come across. Had it not been for his gigai, they would not have had to come all the way here to nearly get molested by two intoxicated perverts. Next to him, Kurosaki's eyes were still wide as saucers, the chest visibly deflating as a thankful sigh left the parted lips.

"Urahara, get out of the way."

The ex-12th division captain whipped open his fan and stepped aside eagerly at the low tone from the young captain that promised some very painful ice therapy should he disobey him while Yoruichi rolled her eyes, returning to her cat form.

"You guys are no fun."

"Yoruichi-san, you are the one who's got the wrongs ideas of fun, not us."

The lithe black cat snickered before it jumped over the mess to land on Ichigo's shoulder and Ichigo turned his head towards her with clear uncertainty in his brown eyes while Hitsugaya stealthily slipped his hand out and slipped away from the disarrayed shop, sending another glare at the grinning man before disappearing off behind a sliding door at the side of the shop. The golden eyes followed the white-haired prodigy then turned to the substitute shinigami.

"He's going back already?"

"Yeah. Work, you know him."

"Couldn't you hold him down for a night? He could do with a break from what I've heard."

Ichigo almost shrugged at Yoruichi's unusual caring words before his mind caught the warm weight on his left shoulder. It was not something he had not thought of, given the late time of night, but a promise was a promise and he was aware that the captain had agreed to come, trusting him to let him return when the time came. Then suddenly, an idea hit him like a bolt of lightning and Ichigo nearly laughed out loud at how simple the situation could be solved and why he had not thought of it before. Punching in a familiar sequence of numbers on his mobile, Ichigo winked with a lopsided grin when he saw Toshiro, back in his soul mode, coming out of the back room.

"Moshi moshi. Pops, I'm gonna sleep over at his place. Yeah, I know, I'll be back before that." Then suddenly, the teen's face exploded in a crimson volcano and Yoruichi snickered in amusement. She could hear what Isshin had just said from her place, right next to the speaker of the phone. "Shut up!! I'm hanging up now!!" And with that, the mobile was snapped shut with such force that Hitsugaya briefly wondered if it had not broken the gadget before frowning again.

"What about the clinic? You'll be too tired."

"No clinic tomorrow, actually, today, 'cuz it's New Year. I just have to come back in time for Yuzu's New Year lunch."

And without a warning, Ichigo took out his shinigami badge and pressed it against his chest, deftly tearing away from his physical body that collapsed onto the messy floor like a ragdoll. Yoruichi had already jumped away with the legendary reflex into the arms of her friend who caught her with practiced ease. There was no need for Ichigo to ask Urahara to take care of his body. The moment he was out in his shinigami form, Tessai had come over and was already scooping up his limp body, striding into the back room.

Hitsugaya did not say anything about the sudden change in plan even though he knew that the one hour or two he had planned to work after returning was now probably gone out of the window. If he would only admit it, he was rather welcoming this perfect excuse for slipping away into a warm bed for one night of perfect sleep. With most of his work already out of the way and the residual festive feeling still lingering around, the idea of entering the dark administration office had not been all too pleasant even for him.

"Toshiro, where are the clothes?"

"I'm leaving them with the gigai. I won't wear them in Soul Society anyway."

_Damn_, Ichigo thought to himself as he covered the disappointment with a casual shrug. He had hoped to take the attire that had dolled up his prince oh so nicely with his own hands off the lean body. Oh well, there would always be next time.

Leaving the chaotic shop to the capable hands of Tessai who merely stared at the wreck since the alcohol-induced commotion would soon restart, Urahara led the way down to the basement with the midnight feline in his arms, ignoring the assurance from his star student that the effort was unnecessary. He could open up Senakimon even in his sleep and a bit of break would not hurt either him or Yoruichi before getting soaked in another barrel of the lovely sake that Kyouraku had sent over.

"Arigato, Urahara-san."

"No problem! Happy New Year, Kurosaki-san, Hitsugaya taichou!"

"It would have been nicer if you did not try to harass us on our first step into the shop."

Urahara attempted -repeat, _attempted_- at atypical, good-hearted laughter which only came out even more shifty than usual and Hitsugaya silently turned away from the man, disregarding it completely. One of his feet was already stepping into the gate as soon as two hell-butterflies fluttered out of the blindingly bright entrance even before Ichigo had finished complaining.

"Hey, Toshiro! Wait!"

It was when they had taken a few steps into dangai and Senkaimon shrinking to naught that they heard the distinctive cat-voice from behind, making them both blush and look away from each other.

"Have a _goooooooooood_ night!!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The washi paper, white, crisp, and most of all, translucent, never really did much in blocking out the sunlight and this morning was no exception as glowing rays of light infiltrated the plain bedroom. Outside of the rather useless window, faint chirping sounds of small birds seeped in, gently vibrating the still, silent air.

However it was not the soft morning sunlight falling on his closed eyes that woke Ichigo up nor was it the nature's music that tingled his still sleepy ears. In fact, it was the small squirming in his arms, the warm bundle attempting to more or less dig into his chest, that had woken him up at the hour far too early for the time sleep had claimed them. The hazy fog of drowsiness still shrouded over his mind, Ichigo blearily opened his eyes and blinked a few times before lowering his gaze where he was met with one of the sweetest scenes without a doubt.

Of course he knew exactly what was curling up in his embrace without having to take in the distinctive spikes of pure snow but the small body subconsciously fidgeting and struggling to get closer to him even when they were pressed flush against each other was certainly not what he had expected to bring him out of his slumber. A small, tender smiled flitted across the still somewhat drowsy features and Ichigo affectionately rubbed the back which instantly smoothed out the small creases on the cherubic face, returning the boy to his serene sleep. After kissing the top of the silky head, Ichigo nuzzled his nose in the cloud-like crown, letting out an inaudible sigh.

As much as Yoruichi would be disappointed to hear, once they had reached the captain's quarter last night, both of them had simply slid under the blanket and let the goddess of night take them away to the world of Hypnos. Toshiro had fallen under the spell almost immediately but it had taken a while before Ichigo could follow him.

Even if his stubborn lover did not say anything out loud, for Ichigo who had started to learn to see behind the stoic, cold curtains, the relief of him being there and the weary expectation for dreamless, peaceful sleep had been all too evident in the enchanting emerald eyes and he could not help but cradle his sleeping prince possessively in concern. Ichigo had come over almost every weekend until the exam time had kicked in but never for once had he noticed such alleviation from the normally cold, unreadable orbs. Now that he thought of it, it should have been expected. After all, it was only recently that the nightmares seemed to have kicked in back in full force.

And this morning was no different as Toshiro unknowingly continued to burrow into his warmth. Even after the frosty captain had grown used to cuddling, times like this when Toshiro thirsted for his presence were few and far between and despite the cuteness he found in the gesture, it hurt him deep in his mind all the same. With a small, pained sigh, Ichigo looked up at the horribly bright sunshine, mentally cursing the cruel Faith. Hadn't Toshiro suffered long enough from his own family member already since long before the War?

Ichigo had come to terms with the spiteful destiny on his loss of his mother after much difficulty -mildly put- and agreed that it had been an unintentional mistake of a young child who was too enthusiastic for his ability. However his lover did not deserve this. Toshiro had done every goddamn thing he could possibly do yet the gods that Ichigo knew did not exist, but thought if they did, they were worse bastards than Aizen, simply gave even worse wound to his icy prince, carving it deep over months into the mind of the young prodigy who had had no one else to turn to until he had come along.

The brown eyes left the bland washi paper when there was another little squirm in his arms before settling down again. Gently stroking the back of the cotton-soft yukata, Ichigo nuzzled his nose in the snowy mob of hair. Within about three weeks from today, he would be back in this exact room again for much, much longer than just a few hours and he knew exactly what to do during the time. What was done was done. Ichigo, for all the power he possessed, did not have means of rewinding the time, but he could and would help his aloof dragon through the expected nightmares and the bitter hours that he was familiar with more than he would have liked.

"…Ichigo…"

"Hmm?"

"…I'm getting suffocated."

Ichigo scoffed at the croaked words, still heavily laced with sleep, and laid another tender kiss on the white tendrils without letting go of the complaining boy. He did not mention the fact that it was Toshiro himself who had got his face properly buried to his chest. His prideful yuki hime would never admit his hidden needs anyway and Ichigo was not feeling up to their usual wordplay this early on, especially when his heart was rather weighted down.

"Go back to sleep, Toshiro. It's still too early."

There was a quite hum around his chest then the tranquil silence made its return to the room splashed with warm sunlight that Ichigo suddenly did not find so comforting anymore. Having instinctively sent his lover back to slumber, Ichigo now wondered what time it actually was. He remembered what Toshiro had told him about New Year in Soul Society and doubted the diligent captain had requested for leave.  
However there was nothing in the room that could tell him the time. Just as you would expect from the icy prodigy, the room was empty save the necessary furniture which apparently did not include clocks. So instead, Ichigo quickly and easily decided not to bother with time and settled back down to circling his baby dragon's back, taking in a gulp of the fresh scent that had tingled his nose all night long.

He was not sure how long had passed since then. He might have even fallen back asleep for a brief moment, submitting to the unbroken tranquillity, before he felt two dainty hands giving a minute push on his chest, his lover obviously awake and trying to get up without somehow waking him up. Hastily climbing out of the misty drowsiness, Ichigo promptly got rid of what little gap the captain had managed to put between them which stopped any further movements from the young shinigami and mumbled quietly.

"Toshiro, do you really have to work on New Year…?"

A pair of widened teal orbs greeted him with annoyed surprise clear in the low voice, now fully wakeful unlike before.

"You were awake?!"

"Frankly, I'm not too sure but I know I am now."

Hitsugaya scoffed at the answer. That was even more stupid than what he could have expected from drowsy strawberry.

The night had been blissful; simple, comforting blackness cocooning him within its sturdy walls, and he felt more refreshed than he ever had for considerable length of time. When he had finally managed to creep out of the delightful rest, the slowly rising and falling chest was literally less than an inch away from his face and Hitsugaya had almost thought that it was still night time from the dark fabric blinding his view.

"Well, now that you are up, will you let me have some fresh air?"

Ichigo chuckled at the half-exasperated, half-amused question, untangling his arms from around the lean body, and watched with careful eyes as Toshiro sat up from the futon, pulling up the loosely tied yukata that had slid down the small shoulder. The delicate hand ran through the pristine tuft before the turquoise eyes landed on the still sprawled teen.

"As for your question, yes."

For a second, Ichigo was confused what Toshiro meant then remembered what he had asked in his half-asleep state.

"Well, then. Damn."

"What are you going to do? Are you going back now?"

"…I can stay for another night."

Hitsugaya gazed down at the serious brown eyes that churned with hidden worry and shook his head. Just from that one momentary look, he realised why Kurosaki was attempting to extend his unplanned stay and was secretly shaken a little by it. He had never thought much about the effect the disturbed nights had on him but evidently the extent of it had been obvious somewhere in him without him realising it.

"No, there's no need. And your sisters will be disappointed to spend two New Years without you in a row."

There was nothing Ichigo could say to that but the frown spoiling his features was a sure enough sign that he remained unhappy with the situation. Another sigh left the lips that Ichigo had forgot to claim out of all his worries then the captain stood up and stretched out his hand, at which he blinked in question.

"We need to head over after freshening up. I _know_ Matsumoto is trashed somewhere right now and at least one person needs to take care of the division."

Ichigo grinned as he caught the soft hand which pulled him away from the plush futon with strength unbefitting the small stature. It was an indirect permission to stay at the office while the prodigy worked, presumably hoping that the extra time together would lull Ichigo's troubled mind before his return to the human realm.

Just when they were leaving the bedroom, a soft-spoken greeting echoed in the corridor; it was Haru. Sensing that her master and his companion were awake, she had been on her way to ask about the breakfast. Hitsugaya gave an acknowledging nod while Ichigo waved his hand which soon went down to cover his mouth stretching wide open in a yawn. Haru chuckled at the obvious just-out-of-sleep state of the teen. Hitsugaya had never failed to look his usual aloof self even in some ungodly hours and seeing them together right now made their polar-oppositeness plain obvious.

"Bath is all ready, Hitsugaya taichou. What would you like me to do about your meal?"

Hitsugaya had almost given his usual negative answer out of habit but managed to save himself just in time. He glanced over his shoulder at the carrot-top that was still rubbing his eyes as if he did not hear the question then turned back to Haru.

"I'll need them sent over to the office."

"Hai."

The teen's face was in dismay at the captain's words, clearly reflected in his tone.

"In the office?"

"Kurosaki, shut up."

Haru quickly bowed to the glaring captain and turned away, hiding her chuckles at the whining question from the orange-haired teen that was all too easily cut off. As she walked back to the kitchen, she could hear the sounds of protest that were only greeted with cold but faintly smirking rejection. Turning round the corner that led to the kitchen, Haru took one last look at the couple walking into the bathroom, still arguing about the breakfast, and warmly smiled.

Her lonely, frosty master had surely found a perfect match for him.


	15. So begins another new year

**Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos [#14/?]**  
**Chapter rating**: PG-13  
**Chapter specific warning**: First attempt at major ByaRen  
**Chapter specific spoiler**: None

**Chapter summary**: Pesche and Dondo Chakka return, only to get more worried about their mistress. Ichigo takes his leave after much push from Hitsugaya and Rukia lets Reji in what has been bothering her.

**Author's Note:**

A little more about Nelliel's past is revealed but as I have said before, this is _completely different_ from the original Bleach.

PS. Thank you again for everyone who reviewed. As time passes, _Orderly Madness_ is starting to take its toll on this poor author who had never written anything for over such a long period, so please continue to review… They give me more strength than anything!!

* * *

**:::::Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos by Kanon Ch.14::::: _So begins another new year_**

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It was really not muchof a surprise that later thatmorning, Ichigo found himself shovelling down the neatly prepared breakfast at the couch that was for once void of its busty mistress in spite of his persistent attempt at persuading his stubborn dragon who only gave him a short 'I told you' glance when they reached the office. Just as Hitsugaya had predicted, the administration office had been empty on their arrival, or at least empty of any living souls. It certainly was not empty of white flimsy things called papers. The aforementioned captain was currently seated at his usual desk, already lost in whatever report that had caught the gleaming teal orbs, his breakfast all but forgotten half-way through.

The brown eyes stayed locked on the busy prodigy for a few minutes which was just how long the spoon remained stuck inside the teen's mouth until Ichigo pulled it out decisively as if drawing his zanpaktou against a sworn enemy and resolutely strode over to his lover. He had waited long enough for that small hand to leave the abused brush alone and pick up the chopsticks it had left behind and now, it was high time that he brought his baby dragon's attention back to the basic requirement of living.

Hitsugaya almost jumped from his seat when suddenly a hand shot out from his back and grabbed his that had been just about to let the ink-soaked brush touch down on the blank paper. In the fraction of second that it took for him to whip his head around, his tight clutch around the bamboo body of the brush had been pried away and when the startled captain recognised the frowning features and the untidy orange mess, a pair of black-lacquered chopsticks had replaced the writing tool.

"Kurosaki?"

"How can I not worry about you when you put work over your meal? You really got to sort out your priority, Toshiro."

"Kurosaki, I don't even usually eat breakfast."

The moment he had said it in a low growl, more out of annoyance at having his concentration broken, Hitsugaya realised he should have kept it to himself as the orange brows knitted deeper than before with an unsatisfied glance at him. Chopsticks precariously dangling in his hand, Hitsugaya watched with a slight frown as the teen picked up his tray of breakfast and jerked the orange-crowned head towards the couch, silently but effectively getting his message across; _leave the damn desk_.

"And that, I don't think, was supposed to help lift my worries. Now, will you not let Haru-san's effort go wasted?"

The tray already down on the table, the substitute shinigami was looking at him in exasperation with his arms crossed in front of his chest and after eyeing him with thinned lips, Hitsugaya gave up the wordless argument between them with a quiet sigh. The ear-splitting sound of the chair dragged across the wooden floor echoed in the office and the teal orbs glared at the hazelnut ones already dancing at the obvious decision.

"After finishing this, you are not disturbing me again."

Ichigo flashed a mischievous yet goofy grin at the warning that carried a certain threat in it as the captain sat down on the couch in a resigned fashion.

"Have I ever?"

However before Hitsugaya could even arch an eyebrow in incredulity, a hell butterfly flew into the office in its usual gracious manner and weaved around between them before settling on the finger that the captain presented for it. Ichigo watched in growing curiosity as the cherubic face started gaining a number of angry marks, not to mention the veins starting to throb, then the fragile insect was already fluttering out of the window it had come through, leaving behind one hell lot annoyed shinigami.

"What was it?"

"Matsumoto."

"Should've known it. What did she say?"

The question earned him a life-threatening glare that Ichigo was fairly positively it was not meant for him before the irritated prodigy dropped his snow-crowned head into his hand.

"She just woke up and she is not even sure where she is."

A moment of silence was followed by a burst of laughter, making the captain let loose an angry growl. It was not like they had expected her to have stayed sober on New Year Eve but not to even know her current whereabouts? No wonder Toshiro looked ready to explode had the buxom woman been present. At least she had enough of right minds to send him a message in regards of her not-so-right condition. Then suddenly, Ichigo was snickering with wickedness and Hitsugaya quirked his eyebrow when the teen poked him at his side.

"Hey, Toshiro. You know what's going to be a perfect comeback for you when she manages to find her way back here?"

"What?"

"Her present."

The turquoise eyes blinked in a confused frown at the short answer then slowly, a smirk that surpassed Ichigo's in its evilness rose on the small face.

"Guess you are not as big a dork as I thought."

Kurosaki looked so smug despite his insulting compliment that Hitsugaya could not help but chuckle quietly, rolling his eyes.

"It's one of the best ideas I have come up with so far, if I may say so myself."

The infamous sneer tugged at his lips and Hitsugaya picked up the chopsticks that had been abandoned in favour of the midnight butterfly, a very amused and anticipating gleam in the sea-green eyes.

"That, I agree."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Nelliel-sama. Nelliel-sama."

A gentle shake on the shoulder accompanied the thick but soft voice and soon the half-ram started to wake up from the unintended nap on the cold metal desk. Nelliel winced a little just as she was pushing herself up. Her shoulders were tense from the uncomfortable position and the spine cracked from the lengthy time it had been hunched. Giving small twists to relieve her abused back from the taut pressure, Nelliel tucked away her wavy hairs and looked for those that had brought her back from dreamland, breaking into a tiny, gentle smile when she recognised the two in front of her.

"Pesche, Dondo Chakka, you are back."

"Hai, Nelliel-sama."

"Did you…?"

"Hai, we came across an Adjuchas that had managed to escape from the War. He's with Ulquoirra-sama and he would like you to see him as well."

The actual words from the green-eyed Menos had not been as polished nor as gentle as they had relayed but the pale brown eyes widened by a touch nevertheless and Nelliel nodded, hurriedly blinking away the residual drowsiness in her eyes.

"I'll see you later, Dondo Chakka, Pesche."

Then after patting the two Hollows' shoulders with care rarely seen in the world of tainted souls, she was gone from the lab.

Pesche and Dondo Chakka followed their mistress' rather sluggish movement out of the room with somewhat anguished eyes and looked at each other with a sigh. The fatigue was painfully clear in the beautiful face of hers yet there was nothing they could do for the one that meant all their lives could ever worth.

Nelliel had been one of only ahandful offemales that had made up to the rank of Espadas but from the beginning, she had been different from others. There was always a unique aura of graciousness surrounding her calm exterior and the dreamy eyes carried warmth and gentleness that did not befit her powerful strength. The dignity that she carried herself by and the justice, much different from Tousen's, had secretly and dangerously collided with the wishes of the king of Las Noches far too frequently. In short, she was an Arrancar with not a faintest trait of a typical Arrancar in her. The critical-thinking ability that came with crossing the forbidden line had in fact erased out any raw, feral characteristics of Hollow.

The doubts she held over Aizen, his work, and his true nature had not been a total secret and in the end, it had resulted in the order from the ex-captain to kill her two underlings herself, the apparent reason, their weakness and uselessness, but all Arrancars knew the truth. It was an ultimate test of her royalty because Nelliel's almost motherly care for Pesche and Dondo Chakka was more than well-known between the inhabitants of the white dome-like palace.

Pesche and Dondo Chakka had been ready to die if it was for the sake of their mistress. Nelliel had given them more than any un-arrancarfied Hollows could ever hope for and they knew it was probably the most they could do to repay what they had been graced with. However things took a turn that no one, not even Aizen, had expected.

The night before the deadline for Aizen's order, Nelliel disappeared into thin air, into the never ending night of the forsaken world, along with Pesche and Dondo Chakka.

Much to their surprise, there had been no pursuing parties. Not even Nelliel knew exactly why Aizen had simply let her be. With his level of influence over their world at the time, it would have been easier than clicking his fingers to track them down and bring down the doom. Nevertheless it did not happen and after weeks of caution to confirm the suspicious circumstance, the trio had taken to roaming around the vast, huge desert, moving out to where the single manmade architecture could not be seen behind the dusty sandstorms.

However it was not just their lives Pesche and Dondo Chakka owed her. They were very well aware of the reason that their mistress had lasted until the last minute in Las Noches despite her risky disagreement with Aizen Sousuke. If it had not been for them and the order for their deaths, who knew, Nelliel might have had her chance at finally having her hopes come true at Las Noches, close to a certain someone. It was for that precise knowledge they did not even attempt to stop her when their mistress started rushing to the battlefield at the crushing reiatsus that clogged the dry atmosphere of Hueco Mundo.

Without any knowledge or skill to help Nelliel's experiments, all Pesche and Dondo Chakka could do was searching through the bleak world for those they could safely recruit for Ulquoirra's plan. They were not naive enough not to know that the instruction had actually come from the stoic ex-Espada but even so, they stood no chance of disobeying it when at least on surface, it was Nelliel giving it to them.

They spared an unhappy glance on the unforgiving metal desk that they had found Nelliel bent upon. On the gleaming surface were a number of black and white rings and bracelets, all with different sizes of gaping cracks, much to their disappointment. Leaving another heavy sigh to echo in the vacant lab, Pesche and Dondo Chakka left the room and locked the door behind them. Both of them appreciated what their stunning mistress hoped to achieve at the end of this long journey but from what they could see, the chance was slim and Nelliel's hope only seemed unfounded more and more day by day.

All they wished for their saviour was her happiness but apparently the God that had deserted this world was not so kind on its dwellers either.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Kurosaki, when are you going to go? It's well past noon already."

"Huh? Oh right… Yeah, well…"

The emerald eyes narrowed dangerously and Ichigo averted his eyes away from the piercing gaze belonging to his little dragon. Hitsugaya looked at the fidgeting teen deadpan before putting down the request form from the 13th division. Just as he had promised, Kurosaki had left him to plough through the mountains of papers in surprising silence once he had cleared the breakfast tray, which he did appreciate, but if it was for lunch that the carrot-top had to return for, the time was getting pressing and the journey through dangai was not the shortest one you could take on even if you were accompanied with a hell butterfly.

Hitsugaya was well aware of the reason that Kurosaki continued to delay his departure but really, this was uncalled for, in his opinion. Which was why he was now half-glaring at the sheepish smile the substitute shinigami was offering, evidently hoping that it would make him drop the subject.

"I'm sure that even in the real world, lunch is something you have around midday, not in the evening."

Ichigo shrugged nonchalantly, which was apparently not the best response he could have given as the white eyebrows knitted in a glower. He had been pondering about telling Toshiro about the plain alleviation he had witnessed last night and the subconscious desires unknown to the captain himself and was yet to come to a decision. It seemed nothing but that -or even that, possibly- was going to give him any chance of lengthening his stay with his lover for whom family was as important as his duties. Ichigo did not need to have heard about Toshiro brandishing his zanpaktou against Ichimaru for the sake of his sister to know that.

In the end, Ichigo hopped off the couch he had been lying on. Trying to persuade the obdurate captain would only lead to another argument which would do no good and Hitsugaya Toshiro was strong, if nothing else. Ichigo did not overestimate Toshiro's strength which was why he worried over his baby dragon's state but neither did he underestimate it. His icy dragon was not a captain for no reason and being a captain of Gotei 13, especially the youngest one ever, required a lot more than just bankai.

"'Kay, I'll leave you to your peace, even if it's a bit difficult for me to imagine it in amidst of all these papers."

Hitsugaya scoffed lightly as he watched the teen walking over to his desk and did not stop him when Ichigo placed a hand on the polished surface of the desk and bent down, his purpose quite clear. Tilting his head slightly, he greeted the warm lips that tenderly landed on his, the feeling ever so familiar yet new every time. The touch remained loving and innocent and after a few seconds, the comforting heat was fast disappearing from his lips as the substitute shinigami stood back up, but not before dropping another kiss on the tip of his nose.

When Hitsugaya opened his eyes again, there was a little tug at the corner of his lover's lips as if his small display of willingness had quelled the teen's anxiety and the prodigy quickly picked up the form that he had discarded just moments ago. Ichigo chuckled quietly, stroking the porcelain cheeks that were turning a pastel tinge of fully blossomed sakura, then softly tousled the surreal spikes before turning to leave. Hitsugaya remained in his seat and Ichigo did not ask him to see him off. It had been an unspoken agreement from the beginning that Ichigo simply left the tenth division when he had to, their goodbyes all said and done behind the closed doors of the administration office.

Then just as he reached the door, Ichigo came to a stop and glanced over his shoulder to see the questioning gaze from the emerald jewels. He smirked and with a wink, provided the best advice he could give.

"Make use of my present."

Puzzlement flitted across the well-sculptured features for a moment then the teal orbs rolled around, the captain's sarcasm returning in full force before Ichigo could close the door behind him.

"Yeah, _right_."

Hitsugaya snickered at the dismayed face the teen put up before chuckling then the wooden door had slid close, the unruly orange mess vanishing behind it. Shaking his head, he returned to the paper in his hand, vaguely registering the calming pulses around his fourth finger, before he replaced it back on the stack. In a short span of a mere second, the 'Toshiro' that was someone's lover had disappeared and seated in its place was the 'Hitsugaya' that was the icy captain of the tenth division. His sea-green eyes frozen to its usual aloofness, Hitsugaya summoned a hell butterfly and in a quiet voice, whispered his message to the obsidian insect that flapped its wings a few times before taking off.

"Tell Ukitake to send Kuchiki Rukia to me."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The blood-red of the twilight was ominously staining the once clear blue canvas as the blinding Sun bid its daily goodbye and soft winds rustled the green grasses that had been left to overgrow. In the middle of the swaying pasture stood a lone man, much like a wax statute clad in a rumpled shihakushou, his eyes rooted to two round bumps of earth in front of him.

Nothing that nature could provide was enough to bring back the man's attention to the wintry temperature that was fast dropping along with the subtle rise of the glistening moon and it was only when the lusty voice of a woman echoed through his soul that the head lifted up.

'Do not worry, my darling… Everything is ready and your chance will come before long.'

There might have been a soft wicked chuckle at the end -or perhaps not- but the man did not seem to have noticed it, the dark eyes returning back down to the piteous graves in front of him. There were no gravestones which indicated to whom these bare tombs belonged or even wooden crosses around it. They had clearly been deprived of any care, be it loving or compulsory.

"When, Hebi no Doku, when would the opportunity rise?"

The frustration and anxiety had obviously reached the zanpaktou which only laughed seductively and the dark, viscous tone was ringing in his ear again.

'Find it, darling. If it does not rise, find it.'

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

It took a few moments for the new fifth division captain to remember exactly why he had been asleep when the dusk had evidently just started to settle down, the deep, pastel orange that was very much similar yet different to his human friend's hair overflowing the grand bedroom he currently occupied. Then when midnight silks came into his view and his foggy brain registered the warm back pressing firmly against his chest, the strong-jawed face morphed into a crooked smile.

Both the fifth and the sixth divisions had had their captains staying on duty over New Year Eve night, the Kuchiki's traditional celebration having been delayed to the actual New Year's evening due to the call of duty on the adopted girl, and it had only been near midday that Renji and Byakuya could return to the Kuchiki mansion, the redhead literally bombing down onto the luxurious bed while the noble carefully and skilfully discarded of his scarf and kenseikans.

Renji was never any good at night duties -sleep _was_ important, after all- and truth be spoken, he could do with a bit more sleep. However he had not seen his childhood friend since she had left for the human world last night and even if there had not been any bad news regarding the mission, he wanted to confirm that Rukia had come back without any trouble. Surprisingly, the girl had yetto return when they had arrived at the mansion and only a brief message had been waiting for them, announcing that she had to attend to a few things before leaving Karakura village, which both of them found understandable although Byakuya might not have been keen on it. Since being appointed as a vice-captain, Rukia had not had a chance to visit the town that held considerable amount of memory for her.

The burgundy eyes swept the figure in front of him from head to toe and the redhead nibbled his lower lip in an awkward smile. Kuchiki Byakuya was a supernaturally light sleeper and considering their current position, untangling himself without waking up the raven-haired shinigami was going to be near impossible, mildly put.

One of his arms was currently trapped under the mid-length obsidian curtain all too willingly and the other wound around the slick waist, its peripheral gently woven in the other's long fingers. There was that familiar, blissful feeling of the velvety skin that came with the aristocratic standard of living around his left thigh along with the soft cotton draped over it and Renji knew, without looking, that his limb was hidden under not just the blanket, but the pale blue yukata that the noble wore to his sleep. The finely knitted blanket did not help either. In fact, it just made things only worse, at least for his current task. The way it was entwined around below their waists, it was impossible to tell the beginning and the end of it.

Renji stayed very much still for a while, considering many different ways that he could leave this haven without waking up the one that created it, his thoughtful eyes permanently stuck on the black tendrils spread out in front of him. The idea of getting up to see Rukia was turning less attractive by every second as he lingered in the cosy setting, much to his guilt.

With a resigned sigh, the tattooed shinigami slowly, oh so slowly slid his hand out of the loose grasp. As much as he wanted to stay next to the sakura-scented captain, he owed a lot to his Rukongai friend in the process of reaching here -in many senses- and should not dismiss her so easily. She was still someone he would risk everything to save was she ever in any danger again.

The resolution did not make his mission any easier though. The hand was the easy part but how was he going to free his other arm without alerting Byakuya, never mind his intertwined leg? However his question suddenly presented an easy answer to him before his burning crimson head could start giving off steam in the form of awaking Byakuya.

"Have you got somewhere to go?"

Renji scratched the back of his head ruefully with his free hand, wondering how on earth his ex-captain could sound so awake when he had been perfectly slumbering just a second ago. Even with his years of staying rooted next to the Kuchiki leader, he did not remember a single moment that the stoic shinigami showed a hint of dishevelment.

"Yeah, wanted to see if Rukia was back alright."

Byakuya was not small by any means and his frame was certainly not lean like Ichimaru or Hitsugaya. His chest was sturdy and his shoulders were broad enough for Renji to lean on but for the redhead, that midnight hair was just where he could tuck it under his chin -although the other way round was not uncommon either- and the satiny feeling around his neck was simply too heavenly to be real.

Renji lifted up the blanket and took his leg back to his side as the man he had once hated, strived for, worshipped and now loved, turned around in his arms, the obsidian eyes already fully alert as they bore into his.

"You wake up all too easily, taichou."

There was a faintest of faintest tug at the corner of delicate lips at the old title. The ex-vice captain had yet to lose the years long habit completely. It used to earn Renji a fair amount of laughter from others until he had learnt to react as a fellow captain to the call of the sixth division captain. Nowadays, the title Byakuya had heard so often in the past had become more of a term of endearment between the two, the single word containing so many memories, humours and bitterness alike, in it.

Running his hand through the jet-black curtain that had come down to obscure his vision, Byakuya sat up, every single of his action oozing of elegance that had been embedded into the core of his soul from his birth, and Renji followed suit, his moves decidedly much more carefree than his noble lover.

"Check on Rukia. I will have to instruct the servants for the New Year dinner tonight."

The choice of the clipped words was not much different from what would have been used to order the subordinates but Renji had heard that deadpan voice long enough to catch the subtly different tone and nodded, giving himself a good stretch before leaping out of the warm futon.

Byakuya was already seated in front of the low table with a mirror, the symbol of his nobility clipping away the deep black tendrils in their usual places, and Renji strode out of the room, gathering the wild, flaming hair of his into a high pony tail with practiced ease. The long, shocking reds were usually bound in braids for the slumber to avoid the annoying knots the next morning but when Byakuya had dropped a line somewhere along his preference of having the vibrant coloured hair sprawled over the pillow, the habit had been thrown far out of the window over the horizon.

It did not take long for Renji to arrive at his destination. The Kuchiki mansion might be huge enough to provide him an ostensibly endless exploration but all of the frequently used rooms were next to each other which meant Rukia's room was not far from the main bedroom of the majestic manor.

"Oi, Rukia, you in there?"

"Renji?"

The shoji door smoothly slid open to reveal the petite girl and the deep red eyes instantly travelled down from the black hair to the tabi-clad feet, scrutinising as not to miss a single cut. Rukia crossed her arms across her chest and harrumphed. She knew it was out of care that the redhead did it but she was a vice-captain now and Renji should be more than familiar with the capability of the rank.

Having satisfyingly searched the girl, Renji broke out into a grin, ruffling the shorter's hair.

"Good. So how's Karakura?"

The tattooed eyebrows rose a bit when the girl suddenly looked around them then pulled him into the room, quickly closing the door behind her. With the sleeve of his sakura-patterned yukata still in the grasp of the small hand, Renji blinked at her somewhat stupidly.

"What? Did something happen?"

Rukia quickly waved her hands when her friend's face turned into a worried frown, changing the subject. She had been hoping to speak to someone about the scene that had been weighing on her mind, not to mention what had hit her like a bolt of lightning just a few hours ago, and there was no one better for it than Renji as they were on a same boat with regards to it.

"No, the mission went fine. But last night…"

"??"

"Renji, do you know why Hitsugaya taichou was in the real world last night?"

Renji blinked at the unexpected question then shrugged nonchalantly, wondering why Rukia looked… well, all sorts of things; confused, curious, worried, concerned, hurt, and lost. And anyway, what did it matter if the prodigy was in the real world? As far as he was concerned, the tenth division captain had good enough reasons to be down in the human realm if needed, considering the investigation he had just got dumped with. But then, of course, he could not tell his friend that.

"Not really. It's not like taichous have to report to others where they go. Why, did you see him in Karakura?"

"…Yeah. With Ichigo."

Renji still could not see what the problem was. He knew as well as Rukia that the two had grown rather fond of each other during the captain's sick-leaves. Moreover, there was the whole secret plan they had pulled off together which ultimately led to the Soul Society's victory in the War. Such a thing could not have taken place without deep trust and perfect synchronisation, not to mention that such type of experience would be enough to put any relationship up a notch, just like Rukia's execution had brought Renji and Ichigo together despite their bad introduction. The level of closeness exhibited had not been expected but then he was not in a place to say such things, given who _he_ was with. Then abruptly, the crimson eyes widened and Renji looked at Rukia disbelievingly with a you-are-mental look.

"Rukia, there's no way they are going out together."

"I know but…"

However despite his bemused words, the frown did not leave his childhood friend's face and Renji tilted his head in confusion. He doubted the reason that it was so clearly irking Rukia had anything to do with it being the same sex couple even if the unrealistic suspicion turned out to be true. Rukia had been more than up for it when Renji had first confessed to her out of his frustrated inebriation about the fine line between hatred and love he had crossed.

"Look, Rukia. Hitsugaya taichou was probably on another of his work. You know what he's like. He's practically a block of ice and the only person that kid had ever cared about was Hinamori."

Rukia found herself wishing that her red-headed friend was right but she would not have blurted out the topic to Renji if the unexpected scene she had witnessed last night was the only thing she had nagging her mind. In fact, there was something that she had realised just moments ago, something that she found harder to accept.

"Yeah… But… I went to see him about something just a while ago and I felt a trace of Ichigo's reiatsu in his office."

"So?"

Rukia let out a frustrated sigh and laid everything out for her dim-witted friend who obviously could not see what she was seeing.

"Renji, Ichigo did not see _anyone _else. He did not even come to the mansion, I asked the servants. He came to Soul Society well past midnight and stayed late enough for me to feel his reiatsu in Hitsugaya taichou's office in the afternoon and no one had seen him." Then dropping the crumpled sleeve from her grasp, she lowered her eyes to the tatami floor, mumbling. "It was only Hitsugaya taichou."

_We've become only second now_, Rukia thought to herself with more disappointment than she knew she should feel about the change; **_I'_**_ve become only second_. Being the top priority of the teen's visit had been something she had taken for granted without realising and the unhappiness she felt at the sudden realisation surprised her.

The black-inked eyebrows furrowed a little at the sadness and disappointment in his usually cheerful friend, finally understanding what had been bothering the girl. Ichigo and Rukia held somewhat unique relationship that did not fit in any specific categories which led to many suspicions that there was romance between the two despite Rukia's denial which was taken to be only to save herself from her noble step-brother's silent wrath. Whatever it was, it was certainly as close and special as what he himself held with Rukia which was saying something, but obviously, a change that neither had anticipated had happened in the substitute shinigami before they knew it.

It seemed Rukia did not quite believe that anything that could be labelled as something so intense and important like love was in place between the tenth division captain and the loud-mouthed teen but the abrupt recognition of Ichigo's unexpected behaviour seemed to have thrown off the petite girl like a slap on her face out of blue, asking her to snap back to reality.

Renji scratched his tied hair in a baffled frown. This kind of situation asked for delicacy which was not exactly the most familiar territory for a rough street stray like him. Gently placing a hand on her narrow, slumped shoulder, Renji searched for good enough consolations he could give for his friend.

"Hey, I'm sure Ichigo had his reasons. Maybe he found out from others that you were not back yet or maybe something came up and he had to leave in ahurry."

And when the words that even he found lame did not lift the mood, Renji gave another rough tousle on the hair that only came to his chest and smirked when the large cobalt eyes glared him.

"Ask him why next time you see him then give him a good smack if you don't like his answer. That'll teach him."

Renji shot another wide grin at the surprised stare from Rukia who soon smiled again and her eyes were sparkling again to the redhead's relief. He arched his tattooed eyebrow in a smug smirk then took a proper seat in the room, getting ready to hear about what Rukia had been delayed for as the unexpected topic on the tendo and his human friend made a hasty leave from his mind. Because, really, the frosty boy genius and the rash substitute shinigami having anything more than friendship and comradeship was undreamt of even for him, the Rukongai dog who kissed the stoic Great noble every day and night.


	16. Invitation

**Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos [#15/?]**  
**Chapter rating**: PG  
**Chapter specific warning**: None  
**Chapter specific spoiler**: None

**Chapter summary**: A kimono is the new must-have for Gotei 13 captains. Unknown to them, Ulquoirra is binding his time, his patience almost terrifying.

**Author's Note:**

1. **Akemashite omedeto gozaimasu**: It's one of different ways of saying Happy New Year.

2. **Otoshidama**: It's pocket money for children given on New Year, given in a small paper envelope.

PS Sorry for the delay in the update, I hadn't planned to be this late but then as usual, nothing actually goes according to the plan. *twitch* Well, hope you enjoy. Please R&R!

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**:::::Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos by Kanon Ch.15::::: _Invitation_  
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The only sound in the silent administration office was the brisk flapping of the pages turning as the impassive emerald eyes glided across the inked paper. The white eyebrows furrowed only so much when the black writings came to an end in the middle of the third page. The report was not long and it had been obvious the moment it was presented to him; that did not prevent him from heaving out an exasperated sigh inwardly. The efficacy of his deployment was becoming almost painfully clear and it appeared his investigation was going to be no easier than Soi Fon's. However none of the disappointment and frustration had any place on the young captain's cold, unflappable visage and Hitsugaya looked across at the petite girl -though she was still taller than him- who had been patiently waiting for his dismissal.

"Good work, Kuchiki."

"Arigato, Hitsugaya taichou."

"Get some rest for now. I will need you again later but I doubt it will be anytime soon. And remember that you are not to discuss about this with anyone."

"Hai."

Bowing her head politely, Rukia took a quick look around the workroom as she turned to leave. Although the imposing stacks of papers initially made the room look much cluttered, she realised that with closer inspection, nothing was actually out of order in the tenth division administration office. The air remained rather chilly even for her although the exceptionally arctic reiatsu seemed to be under tight control of its young master. And of course, the ever absent vice-captain was, as usual, absent, though for her, Matsumoto was not the only one missing in the office. _No signs of Ichigo_, she registered dimly with a hint of relief that she could not quite understand where it originated from. The last scene her cobalt eyes caught before closing the door was the child genius re-reading her report, wearing that everlasting scowl of his.

Left alone in silence, Hitsugaya knitted his eyebrows at how flimsy the report was despite the level of details Kuchiki had gone into. The problem was she was not alone in producing what would positively be one of the shortest reports they would ever have to write.

Since the last murder about four days ago, Soul Society had been granted bloodless, halcyon days, as the previous year said good-bye and New Year rolled on. The dawn of another year had passed by without much commotion, or as quietly as it could with Matsumoto tumbling into the office with less than two hours to go till the end of the day, looking pallid -not to mention, nauseous- and furiously rubbing her temples. Hitsugaya was not surprised to hear that the 11th division had been more or less put out of action because the majority of the members -including the captain- did not turn up until around the same time his own vice-captain had crawled in from god knows where. Hitsugaya had only smirked and without a word, dumped a stack of papers on her desk with one of Matsumoto's vouchers for paperwork on top of it, making her scream sans sound. She could not even cope with her own voice due to a monstrous hangover that was marching and trampling around her head.

The office had not been completely spared of some annual ruckus, though. Ukitake had sent a special New Year version pack of sweets as he spent the day in the fourth division from a fever that had abruptly broken out the night before and not long after, Kusajishi had burst into the office, squealing 'Akemashite omedeto gozaimasu!'. The greeting had not even been finished yet when the pink blob started thrusting her tiny hands into his apathetic face, demanding otoshidama, and Hitsugaya had been just as quick in shoving Ukitake's candies into them, thus saving his division from the absolute demolition. Unfortunately though, a fair number of divisions had apparently failed to check on their stock of sweets, including the 12th which received an extra dose of sugar-high pink ball of terror later on under one snickering Zaraki Kenpachi's order.

Nevertheless, the excitement was now fast disappearing as the shinigamis submerged themselves in work -or plainly drinking like a certain lazy, big ass he could name- and before the first week of January had passed, Hitsugaya had received his first report on the preliminary exploration from Madarame who had, quoting his word, 'strolled' around the pitiful remains of Las Noches that had been assigned to him. There had been no need for words when the Third Seat walked into the office. The disgruntled face was enough for the prodigy to deduct the result even before the bald shinigami had started speaking.

The content of Kuchiki's report on the northern and western areas was not much different from Madarame's; no signs of any Menoses, only a handful number of Hollows that had returned back to the surface after Arrancars and Espadas had been forcibly put to extinct. Hueco Mundo still had one last shinigami treading the dry, white sands, although frankly, Hitsugaya did not expect to hear any dramatic news from Ayasegawa anymore. Nevertheless his next course of action would be decided once the beauty-obsessed vice-captain was back in the sunlit world of the souls.

Hitsugaya frowned a little as he came to the paragraph that described just how eerily empty Hueco Mundo had been. Was it normal for the extensive desert to house such a small number of Hollows? Menoses had never been the easiest creatures to come across, even Gillians for it required meshing of hundreds and thousands of Hollows, but despite his specific orders for stealth, the captain had been prepared to be reported of a fair few number of fights, understandably more so from the 11th division Third Seat than Kuchiki. Hitsugaya had actually double-checked Madarame with the penetrating gaze of his that rivalled the Head Captain's but all he had got out of the bald shinigami had been a sulky nod, unhappily tapping his shoulder with his zanpaktou due to the total lack of blood and adrenaline-rushing battles.

Perhaps Hueco Mundo exceeded his assumption in its sheer size. After all, Kuchiki Rukia had spent nearly a week just for the preliminary search and the report showed that his deadline for return had given her just barely enough time to hastily cover the entire sector that had been allocated to her. With too many unknowns, Hitsugaya had considered it to be risking unnecessary danger to let three shinigamis roam around the realm brimming -or at least, that was what had been suspected- with Hollows on their own, thus giving them a maximum of a week. The order had been absolute; once the time was up, they were to depart the moonlight-soaked world, regardless of completion or rather, incompletion of their mission.

Not realising that his eyebrows had furrowed another inch closer toward the middle of his creased forehead, the prodigy kept his turquoise eyes trailing along the curvy writing while his hand absent-mindedly headed for the inside of his shihakushou where, after a few seconds of fumbling, a small key was pulled out. It was for a lock on the bottom drawer on his desk that he had adopted after the start of his investigation. For now, it remained almost empty save two sheets of papers clumsily bound together, the unbelievably unreadable scripts apparently a sorry excuse of a report. _Well_, Hitsugaya raised the end of his eyebrow as he placed it next to Kuchiki's, _that's just about all you get out of the 11th, I guess_.

The teal orbs gave a swift sweep across the desk then the office, and while the impassiveness in them turned into explosive annoyance, there was only an unnoticeable tic at the end of the delicate lips before the captain returned his attention to the work at hand. When Matsumoto finally got her indolent ass here, he was not going to let her leave until the unassuming papers became her new best friends.

Or so had it been his plan but then as usual, the infuriating sloth that he had to call his vice-captain had always had ways of thwarting whatever that would get her sitting down at the desk and today was no exception as he was brought out of his complete concentration by a thick, droning voice, indicating Matsumoto's very late arrival for yet another day.

"Taaaaiiiiiichoooooouuuuu."

There was that foretelling twitch at the end of the white eyebrow before the irritated sea-green globes slowly looked up in a glower and found Matsumoto heavily leaning on the door frame, the long wavy hair strewn across her face with pain clearly etched on every line of her beautiful face. The captain, all too used to the scene, did not even have any sympathy left for the self-abusing shinigami and returned his attention to the reports, his tone as glacial as the Arctic itself.

"Matsumoto, get in and close the door."

"Taaaaaiiiiiichoooouuuu."

The whining was cut short though, or at least it was shorter than how long it was originally going to last anyway, as Matsumoto saw the fatal warning blatantly written on the prodigy's most definitely unhappy face. Creasing her face further into a nauseous frown, the vice-captain managed to crawl just a step further into the office so that the door could return to its intimate contact with the wooden frame. That little step -if you could call it a step, that is- had her poor, poor head spinning wildly and frantically rubbing her temples in vain, she whimpered incoherently then zigzagged across the office before collapsing on the sofa in a heap. There was an exasperated shake of the white-topped head and the emerald orbs had just re-found the word that had been the departing point at the disruptive entrance, only to snap back up at another muffled, minutely more intelligent mumbling.

"Taaaiiichoouu, I met a Liteitai on the way."

…Or that was how Hitsugaya interpreted the slurred words anyway, thanks to his unwanted years long training in the art of deciphering Matsumoto's post-self-abuse garble, and he better had got it wrong for the sake of the trashed woman because otherwise, she was going to have a rather lethally aggravated dragon at a perfect distance to cast Sennenhyouru.

"Liteitai?"

"Hai."

And that sealed her fate in the icy captain's mind because all messages were to be promptly delivered to him, all the more if it was via Liteitai. Only those directly from Yamamoto warranted the use of the special envoys, and god knows where and when of the 'on the way' this encounter had taken place.

"Matsumoto…"

A slack hand waved in the air for a second before it fell limp again, disappearing behind the couch, and apparently, the purpose of the galling gesture was to calm him down, according to what followed. Hitsugaya only hoped that whatever pain that was using that stupid strawberry-blond head as its marching ground would soon think of it interesting to use it as a trampoline.

"It was nothing urgent, taichou, just personal. It was an invitation from Yamamoto sotaichou."

"For what?"

"New Year banquet."

The irritated scowl turned into a slight confusion although there was not much of a change since both composed of pretty much the same angle the fine brows furrowed at. It would not be the first time that the captains of Gotei 13 had an official celebration for New Year but it certainly did not happen often. There had been only one throughout his captaincy and that was now a good thirty-something years ago.

"When?"

"Saturday at six in the usual meeting room for taichous."

"That's tomorrow… And fukutaichous?"

"At the same time in another room."

"Great, Gotei 13 is going to be at a standstill the next day."

The prodigy's discontented voice would have fooled anyone who heard it into thinking he had been riled up for hours nonstop since the sunrise. A stifled giggle from the couch made it only worse but Hitsugaya managed to keep himself in check -for now, anyway- and decided to favour his silent, never-absent companion that went by the mundane name of papers instead of wasting his energy on his useless vice-captain anymore.

"I'm letting you off the tardiness only because the message was not urgent."

The delicate hand that was apparently allergic to inks made a floppy return in the air as if it was supposed to be showing her gratitude and Hitsugaya groaned, returning to his work. When Matsumoto was having I'm-soon-going-to-die type of hangover, there was just nothing in any of the worlds, be it humans' or souls', to get her to move, let alone work. Unfortunately, that included his temperamental rage as well so there was simply no point in even bothering to raise his voice at the black and pink heap when the effort would only be wasted and there were a lot more things that the precious time could be spent upon. At least there was one thing that worked in his favour; the atrocious sickness actually kept her mouth very much shut, leaving him to unusual peace and quiet in her presence.

With a shake of his head, Hitsugaya turned his attention back to the two sets of reports. He doubted Matsumoto had taken notice of them, given her 'affliction', and for now, that was the way he was going to keep it. He trusted Matsumoto with his life but given the nature of the investigation, every caution was to be practiced. She would hear the appropriate parts of the reports once the prodigy had finished filtering them after receiving the final one.

However, it appeared that today was simply not his day, because just as the vice-captain came to an end of another painful howling, an unexpected announcement tore his focus away from the reports for the second time.

"Hitsugaya taichou?"

Minutely lifting his eyebrow, Hitsugaya swiftly swept the desktop clean of all the inquisition-related papers. He recognised the calm, low voice; it was Hisagi Shuuhei.

"Matsumoto, sit up properly. Come in, Hisagi."

However the vice-captain remained slouched on the sofa, mumbling something that sounded like 'Shuuhei knows', and the door had already slid open before the annoyed captain could say anything else, revealing Hisagi in the long-sleeved haori and not even remotely amused to see Matsumoto half-falling off the coach.

"Hitsugaya taichou, Mastumoto fukutaichou."

"Shuuhei, don't be so formal! Anyway, how come you are upright when I'm so wasted?"

Hitsugaya glanced at his colleague with a quirked eyebrow, his memory digging back up the image of Kira and Hisagi sprawled on his office floor, only white fundoshis covering the bare essentials.

"I'm not 'fine'. Kusajishi just demolished nearly half of my division barracks because she got bored of waiting for Ayasegawa and that didn't do any good for my headache. I'm just pretending to be fine."

Even if he could not physically see it, it did not mean Hitsugaya could not tell Matsumoto was about to whine again so before she could seize her chance, the prodigy promptly cut in, attempting to stir the conversation back to its point.

"That means you are doing your job much better than someone I could mention. Something you needed, Hisagi?"

"Taichou, you can't possibly be talking about me, can you?"

"Zip it, Matsumoto, and stay quiet."

Hisagi laughed quietly as his drinking buddy almost fell off the sofa with a little 'yeep!', making Hitsugaya drop his head into his hands with a roll of his eyes. Another sluggish scrambling had Matsumoto settling down comfortably and safely back on the couch soon enough and Hisagi returned to the original reason he had come over to his next-door division.

"Hitsugaya taichou, have you received the invitation from sotaichou?"

Why his question led to an irritated glare at Matsumoto, Hisagi did not know.

"Yes, just a while ago."

"It's just… I don't know what to expect since I've never been to one before. Kyouraku taichou seems to have disappeared again and Ise was looking livid enough for me to keep clear of her path."

Hisagi did not mention that the sake-loving captain had been his first choice because there was little room for doubt as to whether the child genius had ever been to one. He was aware that the feasts were more than just few and far between and while Hitsugaya was the youngest ever to become a captain, he was still young by their standards.

Nevertheless, there was an understanding nod from the snow-tufted head and Hisagi was relieved that he would not have to make another journey. While it was no great distance, his alcohol-ruined body was having a hard time just keeping his vision straight.

On the other hand, Hitsugaya wondered how much of a help he was going to be on the matter. Truth be told, he himself had never actually attended one either. He had left Soul Society sometime before the last one for a field mission and on the celebration day when they were about to return, he ended up receiving a fair number of blows while protecting his subordinates from an ambush, leading to his absence that evening.

The next day, however, Ukitake, being the caring father-figure he was, had come to relay every single moment of the feast which had apparently resulted in very, very inebriated Kyouraku trying to get Soi Fon dance with him until she threatened to jab him with her Suzumebachi.

"I haven't been to one myself either because I was in the infirmary back then, but based on what I've heard from Ukitake, you shouldn't have anything to worry about. It's just a casual dinner and apparently some entertainment following afterwards."

"Right… Arigato, Hitsugaya taichou."

"One more thing."

The short-lived relief in the scarred face swiftly switched to dreaded anticipation at the tone of the young captain.

"That sounds too much like that all important 'but'."

"And you're not far off. You will have to get yourself a proper kimono, Hisagi."

Hitsugaya did not blame Hisagi for looking like a deer in the headlight. After all, once you became a shinigami, your wardrobe had nothing but shihakushous in less than a year. Heck, even a couple of months was lasting long.

"Kimono?"

When the white-spiked head bobbed up and down briskly, a mixture of disbelief and fright ran through the sharp-lined visage as the ninth division captain ran his hand through the jet-black mess, murmuring more to himself although the other two occupants clearly heard it.

"Damn, Yumi's going to have his fun."

Hitsugaya inwardly agreed, snorting lightly; Ayasegawa's obsession with beauty could only be described as unhealthy and rather scary. Then suddenly Matsumoto was up from the couch and bouncing on her feet without a single trace of pain that had been bashing her head until just a few seconds ago, causing both males to lift their eyebrows at her.

"Ooh, Shuuhei, you have to show me when you get one! It will be great to see you in a pink-dotted one!!"

"I'm _not_ wearing a pink-dotted one!!!"

"And why on earth would you be talking about pink dots?"

It was speaking of the devil. The new voice joining in the spluttering and teasing was none other than Ayasegawa Yumichika who was wearing the small 'beautiful' smile as usual. Hitsugaya briefly glanced at Hisagi who seemed to have all but forgotten about the dress code, pink-dotted or not, at the sudden appearance of his vice-captain and smirked faintly. The chance of the ninth division captain turning up in a polka dot kimono had just shot up by miles.

"Hey, Yumichika!"

The sparkling violet eyes caught the cold teal ones for a moment as they turned from Hisagi to Matsumoto and Hitsugaya gave a barely discernible nod. Their discussion on the mission would have to wait until later.

"Rangiku-san, I'm sure you will enlighten me as to why Hisagi taichou was shouting about pink dots?"

"Hey, I wasn't shouting about anything!!"

However the flustered statement was effortlessly waved away as Matsumoto made a switch in her leverage, slinging her arm across the narrower shoulders of Yumichika who looked at her expectantly.

"Nice timing, Yumichika. We were just talking what Shuuhei should wear for the New Year feast!"

"New Year feast?"

"You haven't heard about it yet, right? There's going to be a celebration dinner tomorrow and guess what?"

The feather-decorated eyebrows rose in question and Matsumoto slyly smiled with a rather evil glance at the chagrined ninth division captain. Hitsugaya stayed silent, simply observing the three friends that he would have usually shoved out of the office when the conversation had turned nothing more than personal. While the reason he told himself was that Hisagi was now a fellow captain, therefore should be treated in respectable manner, honestly, he just wanted to see what would transpire between the two top-seated officers of the neighbouring division once Matsumoto broke the news.

"Well, taichous have to wear formal kimonos, you see."

Matsumoto laughed giddily at how the light purple eyes instantly started to perked up; trust Yumichika to get worked up on fashion. He made such a good shopping buddy as long as there was no fighting going on. After all, Yumichika was the 11th division member to the core of his bones even if he was now a vice-captain of the ninth. Just as he had once said, once 11th was always 11th.

"Really? What about us?"

"Sotaichou is not going to be sitting with us, Yumichika. I'm wearing my pink furisode though. I get enough of this black stuff."

Hitsugaya scoffed quietly when he heard his vice-captain who apparently thought she had enough of black while the majority of Seireitei agreed she did not, starting with her busts. Matsumoto remained unaware of the imperceptible snort from her captain as she nudged her friend once more with a meaningful gaze.

"Anyway, the problem is it looks like our dear Shuuhei doesn't have one!"

"No. No, he doesn't."

"Sooooo?"

Hisagi groaned, wondering what the rest of the day had in store for him. Rangiku had really done it this time.

"What do you mean 'so', Rangiku-san? Of course we should find the most beautiful kimono that would match such a beautiful man!"

The new captain's tanned face flared up in bright red as Matsumoto giggled like mad, patting her friend who had already gone dreamy-eyed at the black-haired shinigami. With all the eyes on the sweat-dropping Hisagi, no one noticed how amused the frozen emerald jewels were at the moment.

"Uh, Yumi…"

"Let's go, then, Shuuhei! We must visit every shop in Soul Society. Do not worry for I will find you the perfect kimono!"

Whether Hisagi was going to just give in or at least attempt to calm the flurry of energy from Ayasegawa, they would never know, for the feminine man had grabbed the other's hand and in a flash, only smirking Hitsugaya and chortling Matsumoto were left behind, Ayasegawa's smooth but excited voice naming countless shops as it trailed away. Matsumoto, languid again now that the short amusement was over, reached back for her trusty couch but instead of flopping down as Hitsugaya had expected, she slumped over the back, staring at him hard.

"What?"

"Ne, taichou, what are you wearing for the feast, then? You don't any kimonos either, do you?"

At the moment, Hitsugaya was very much torn. What did he find more bearable, Matsumoto's squealing over the fact that Kurosaki had given him one last year or the manic shopping spree that would follow his negative answer and risk his division going into a financial crisis? The captain scowled, holding back a resigned sigh. He had seen with his own eyes just how much Matsumoto was capable of buying when they had come across the duplicating half-Arrancar in the human world. His division was not going to survive a week if the vice-captain had got it into her thick head that she had an official reason to storm every shop in Soul Society.

"I have one so do not concern yourself about it."

Matsumoto blinked in surprise, her arms drooping down the back of the couch. If her memory did not serve her wrong, she remembered Hinamori telling her about how she used to envy the girls in kimonos back in the days of Rukongai because they could not afford one. Apparently, the first thing the girl got with her first pay was a lilac-coloured furisode, decorated with peach flowers, although her childhood friend remained adamant on staying out of the whole thing, saying he would never have any use for it.

_So_, Matsumoto asked herself, her eyes rooted to the white-haired prodigy already immersed back in the exploration results, _where did this mysterious kimono come from_?

"Really? You have one?"

It seemed he was paying another visit to the Twitch Land and Hitsugaya spared a moment of his concentration to glare at the blinking woman in front of him.

"Yes, really."

An atypical frown adorned the vice-captain's face, surprise mixed with slight perplexity and scepticism.

"I never knew that. What colour is it? When did you get it, anyway?"

Foreseeing the question coming was apparently not enough to prevent the cherry red blush blossoming on his cheeks and Hitsugaya barely stopped himself from banging his head on the desk as Matsumoto clapped her hands with a high-pitched squeal, grating his already frayed nerve. Skilfully evading the daggers the embarrassed turquoise globes were shooting, Matsumoto pushed herself a little more forward towards her captain, precariously dangling on the couch.

"It's Ichigo, isn't it? When did he give it to you? Why?"

Hitsugaya growled, threateningly pointing the brush -yes, a _brush_- in his hand at the grinning shinigami. Enough was said, he decided.

"It's none of your business, Matsumoto. I just have one, so leave it at that."

"Taichou, at least tell me what colour it is! Can I come and see you before you go to the feast?"

The brush that had been aimed at the cheeky grin was lowered down to the ink stone, sucking up the pitch-black ink, and taking out a blank piece of paper, Hitsugaya let his irritated gaze drop from his vice-captain, perhaps secretly hoping that she would oh so graciously fall flat on her face from the couch. Just one more inch out and she was going to have a one-way ticket to a sloppy kiss with the polished wooden floor.

"Turquoise and no, you cannot see me before I go to the feast."

"Taaaiiiichoooouuuu."

Hitsugaya cursed under his breath, the pouting vice-captain sliding back down the couch at the corner of his eyes. He was now probably going to find Matsumoto at the stone bridge that led to his quarters tomorrow evening, ready to smother him in her deadly boobs as soon as he appeared. Reeling his lost focus back on his task, Hitsugaya scowled as yet another long drone came from the buxom woman whose face was now almost all hidden, only the strawberry-blond hair visible.

_Mental note to self_, Hitsugaya thought, _jump over the wall behind the quarters when leaving for the banquet_.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The few Hollows that had gathered in the corridor quickly parted and side-stepped to each side when they saw Ulquoirra approaching them. There were no words from the Hollows to greet the melancholy Vasto Lorde and neither did Ulquoirra spare even a flitting look to acknowledge their presence. It was only when the billowing end of the white coat disappeared around the corner that the Hollows finally looked easy again, returning to whatever they had been talking about before.

Once back in his room, Ulquoirra locked the door and sat down on his bed. Hollows never had any need for proper housing, let alone furniture, but the time he had spent as an Arrancar in Las Noches had taught him more than just the feeling of the absolute power given to him by Aizen.

Nevertheless, the room was as derelict as Hueco Mundo's harsh desert itself; a plain bed, a small table and a chair were all there was in the painfully white room. There were no windows in the room to look out to the darkened sky his master used to gaze out. In fact, the whole building did not have any windows. Of course, it would not.

They were under the thick cover of sands, in the underground of Hueco Mundo.

Their current base was one of the old structures that Aizen had once built the grand palace upon. The abandoned corridors stretched out far from Las Noches in several directions like a spider's web, forming a complex maze, and those far away from the explosion point had managed to survive the sheer force that had struck the dome-shaped architecture. And it was one of those many hidden corridors that Ulquoirra had taken to be his new place, his new hideout where the bloody revenge would begin.

Of course, it was not nearly as elegant or majestic as Las Noches but as much as Ulquoirra missed the dear palace and the memories held there, such useless traits were not required for his purpose. What he needed was somewhere that would keep him away from any possible prying eyes while at the same time, provide sturdy security for forging the precious bracelets; a place that remained unknown for many, a place that would not attract any curious attentions.

Ulquoirra had learnt well from his master to lay low until the time for action.

His hand automatically found the silver bracelet in his coat pocket while the other remained on the pale green hilt at the thought of the ex-captain, the one that had opened up an unimaginable utopia for him. A lot had happened since Aizen had made a welcomed visit with Hougyouku and a lot had happened since the War that Ulquoirra had miraculously managed to escape with his life intact. When he finally made his appearance and strikes the unsuspecting shinigamis, his foes were going to be in a very big surprise to find their defector's most loyal servant still alive and burning with vengeance.

When returning the all important accessory back to his pocket, he noticed specks of sandy dusts at the hem of his white coat and the bottle-green eyes stared at the pale, feeble disruption of the purity blankly. Everyday Ulquoirra left his underground base and gazed upon the sad crumbling stones that was once Las Noches in the far distance and today had not been an exception. The fallen palace was now a cursed symbol for him. It was where he renewed his resolution to bring down what the shinigamis deserved. It was where his past, present and future lived on.

It was there that he had truly realised the unavoidable truth that his lord, Aizen Sousuke, was dead.

He remembered it as clear as daylight, etched in his mind so deeply as if it was only an hour old. In the middle of pitiful ruins he had sat, Nelliel remaining silent behind him, as his reiatsu prodded around for the swiftly vanishing one. The traces that he had hoped to prove the sepia-eyed woman wrong had only served to crush his hope.

His master's that had become so familiar to him was easily recognisable even in its faintest and the blood that had sprayed from Aizen had been then all dried and crusted on the white sands. Then followed two other; the wild, ragged one undoubtedly belonged to Kurosaki Ichigo and even if Ulquoirra had never come in contact with Hitsugaya Toshiro's, it was an effortless guess as to the owner of the still arctic reiatsu. Ulquoirra's well-honed sense told him there existed a fourth reiatsu that he could not put down to any of shinigamis he had come in contact with but it did not matter. The knowledge he now had was enough.

It was clearly true that Hitsugaya Toshiro and Kurosaki Ichigo had tricked him of all people, making him bring them to the centre of their heavily protected fortress. They had brought his master's untimely death.

And damned Ulquoirra be if he was going to let the two shinigamis get away with it.

It was not just Aizen Sousuke they had taken from him. It was his master that provided him with new power, his majesty for him to serve, his god that he happily pledged his loyalty to with his life.

His army was slowly but surely growing in its size. While Nelliel concentrated on replicating the accessory, Ulquoirra focused on gathering the Menoses that wanted to fight the shinigamis for whatever reason, especially the Vasto Lordes that Aizen had yet to find before his demise. The infinitesimal number of the most evolved Hollows was originally scattered around the boundless realm and while the ex-captain had certainly found many of them, Ulquoirra knew that there still remained a few who had stayed out of his master's grasp, Kazana being one of them.

Kazana, being the free-spirited, fun-loving one he was, was constantly on move around the darkened desert and it had been pure luck on Ulquoirra's side that they had found the playful Vasto Lorde. Their deal was simple. Kazana was bored so Ulquoirra was going to provide the entertainment in the form of blood-filled battles with shinigamis.

Ulquoirra did not need number. What he needed was power. His moves around the forsaken world were subtle and silent, the handful of survivors of the War approached one by one and silently, stealthily, pulled into the underground base, seemingly evaporating into thin air.

It was an excruciatingly slow process. Everything was too slow to satisfy the hatred-filled ex-Espada. However Ulquoirra knew it would only sweeten his revenge. Like a starved tiger out for a vicious, enriching hunt, he would lie low in the alluring disguise of innocent safety and wait patiently. Then when the time came, he would leap out onto his unsuspecting prey, tearing away their flesh, tearing away their bones until nothing would be left of his enemies.


	17. Foreboding serenity

**Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos [#16/?]**  
**Chapter rating**: PG  
**Chapter specific warning**: None  
**Chapter specific spoiler**: None

**Chapter summary**: Hitsugaya reflects on what has grown between him and the substitute shinigami. Yuzu sees a side of her brother she has not seen for a long time.

**Author's Note:**

So far, most of the chapters had been focused on how Ichigo and Toshiro were doing since we had left them in Empathy and more interactions with various shinigamis and humans while the plot was something more of a background. It's been a slow process, just like anything else I do, I guess, but things are finally starting to… twitch. -sweat- With various things happening and many still hidden, it's kinda hard to juggle all the bits and pieces. -sigh- Well, here, we have the night before the banquet and the beginning of Saturday.

PS. You know… To be frankly honest, I didn't realise I hadn't updated OM for THIS long. Oopsy. I apologise. Chapter 18 was being a major b**** and took over my mind completely. But I've finally passed the chapter (YES!) and now I'm on Chapter 21. Well, first, here's Ch16. I only hope this chapter will gather more reviews than the last chapter…

Enjoy! (And please, RxR!)

* * *

**:::::Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos by Kanon Ch.16::::: _Foreboding serenity_**

* * *

The sun had long bidgood-bye, letting its silvery counterpart look after the now slumbering souls. The undefined beams of the wintry moon extended its tendrils to the corners of the labyrinth that was Seireitei, some trickling into one administration office that was still occupied where the gentle shimmer was pitifully lost in the bleak artificial light flooding the room.

Matsumoto had left, or more correctly, been swatted away hours ago when the captain had grown far too infuriated with the unintelligible drones and whines. Since then, Hitsugaya had flown through the numerous stacks of papers and now, as the inky darkness wrapped itself around the silent division, he was taking a short break at the window side that acted as a distinctive divider between the night's shadows and the shattering light of his office. A cup of warm green tea accompanied him alone with the thin slice of silver hanging high in the sky that the cool emerald orbs gazed upon.

Truth be spoken, his favourite time of the day was the illusionary dusk when the blazing red engulfed the endless sky, crimson sun sluggishly drowning at the horizon. Some preferred when the first rays of awakening light sharply pierced the semi-dark sky while others favoured the comforting blackness dousing them with its stillness but for the child genius, neither of them held as many dear moments as the beautiful shades of red dying the vast canvas. That short yet intense display had always been at the background of his precious memories with his sole family. Nevertheless the captain was starting to grow fond of the coal-black midnight, more specifically, what rose with it, noticing how the lunar slowly but surely grew and waned at its own rhythm in its unreachable desolation.

A tiny smile curled the thinned lips up as the young shinigami allowed himself to indulge in the myriad of treasured occasions that the sole source of natural light drudged out of his work-filled mind, all heading to one person that wielded the namesake of the glistening planet, shooting the powerful crescents, its shape inaptly delicate for its power like the one that hung at the end of the long chain on his own zanpaktou.

However his reveries in emollient contentment did not last long.

"Hitsugaya taichou, it's Ayasegawa."

Mild surprise sparked the frozen sea-green globes as they took depart from their new fixation. It was long past the work hour and Hitsugaya had not expected to see Ayasegawa until tomorrow.

"Come in."

The indiscriminating light was almost painful to the bright violet eyes that had grown accustomed to the dimness of the time and Yumichika only barely stopped himself from wincing unattractively at its starkness as he stepped in, automatically bending in a little bow. The feather-decorated shinigami could not help but feel a little guilty as it was returned with a brisk nod and a shift away from the window. He had obviously disturbed the infrequent break the tendo had granted himself after slaving away for god knows how long.

"I apologise for coming at this hour, Hitsugaya taichou. I just met Rangiku-san and she told me you would still be at the office. I thought you would want it as soon as possible."

Hitsugaya shook his head and sat back down at his desk, replacing his cup of tea in his hand with the strapped papers Ayasegawa pulled out. He knitted his eyebrows only a little at the thinness of it. After all, he had not expected much more than that.

"How was it?"

"It doesn't look like much is going on, if any. I'd say it's almost too quiet but then without knowing what Hueco Mundo is usually like, it's hard to say."

In less than a minute, Ayasegawa was dismissed with the customary warning for secrecy. Hitsugaya had almost asked him where Matsumoto had been heading at this hour but quickly and wisely decided against it since the answer was most likely to raise his blood pressure than do him any good.

Feeling somewhat tired, HItsugaya began on the flowery writings, pausing to take a few sips of the remaining tea. Being the wielder of the strongest ice-snow type zanpaktou, the frosty shinigami had previously not been keen on hot drinks but with his captaincy came nerve-grating stress including his vice-captain and nothing eased his tension better than the pale green liquid that many found bitter while it was only velvety on his tongue; or so it had been until one idiotic strawberry came along. Still, the tea did not fail him in the times that he was left to his own devices in Soul Society.

The statement was not much different from the other two; simply silent, quiet Hueco Mundo. It was more feasible that three was obviously nowhere near enough of a number to cover the enormous realm but it had been only a preliminary exploration before the main search. He had enough of basic information to get by until then.

_Guess tomorrow's meeting will be short_, Hitsugaya thought, wearily rubbing his eyes which had started to feel heavy since a while ago. It was going to be the first time Unohana, Soi Fon and Hitsugaya come together since their initial one but with no more new homicides and clean reports on Hueco Mundo, there would not be much to discuss.

Blinking his overworked eyes, Hitsugaya drained his tea that had fast turned lukewarm in the freezing air. By the time that the empty cup had touched down on the desktop, the tendo was already rapt in the latest report, determined to know every in and out of the deployment. The gifted brain easily connected the words to those that the young captain had memorised from the previous ones while the turquoise orbs stopped once in a while in their track when a common point or a difference was noted.

A number of hours passed by in nothing but stillness. The night had long grown frighteningly silent and the craned neck begged for relief from the lengthy pressure that in the end, Hitsugaya did not have any choice but to take a breather, leaning back with a quiet sigh, his tiredness veiled by the diminished volume. New Year Eve's night had recharged him by far from the tiredness that had accumulated over the broken slumbers but having worked extra hours since Christmas save the aforementioned night, even the dutiful captain was starting to feeling rather taxed.

The glacial teal eyes bent a frowning gaze upon the last handful of papers neatly stacked up on the desk for a moment and the prodigy wondered if he could afford to retire for the night now. Tomorrow would be another long day as the case meeting was planned at the early sunrise and in the evening, there was the New Year feast. Hitsugaya was deprived of sleep a lot more than he would care to admit and right now, a good bed rest sounded heavenly to him as he blankly stared at the inked swirls with a tiny hint of exasperation.

Just then, the office door abruptly slid open, causing the snow-tufted head shot up with sharp wariness at the unexpected intruder. Only a certain number of people were allowed to enter the office without revealing their identities beforehand, namely Kurosaki, and Hitsugaya was positive the substitute shinigami would not be here at this kind of hour. And there was even less possibility, in fact, zero chance that this was Matsumoto walking into the office in the dead of the night. And he was right.

"Oh god! I… I'm so sorry, taichou! I didn't think you were still around, I apologise! I really didn't…!"

It was a face that he vaguely remembered to be one of the new recruits that had entered his division just a few weeks ago. His gaze calm but as frigid as the winter night itself, Hitsugaya lifted his hand up to halt the frantic babbling from the girl looking terrified to death as if she expected her captain to brandish his infamous zanpaktou at her.

"You should not assume such things so lightly."

"Of course, taichou! Please forgive my rudeness!"

"Are you on night rota tonight?"

"Hai, taichou."

"Did your senpai (AN:senior) not tell you that the administration office is seldom empty?"

The girl flinched, visibly cringing away from the piercing gaze in panic. The young face of the famed tendo remained perfectly neutral in its perpetual scowl but it was obvious what a blunder she had just made in her casual, common sense induced ignorance. The main administration office was strictly for the captain and the vice-captain only, even more so in the tenth where it was serving more as a second living arrangement for the prodigy.

"I… My sincerest apology, taichou, he did but it's past midnight and I… I'm truly sorry, Hitsugaya taichou."

For a while, Hitsugaya remained silent, his eyes fixed on the lowered blonde head. Indeed it might seem like a minor slip-up but in a military society like Gotei 13 that ran purely on the regulations and respect for the higher-ups, the most basic rule of 'follow the rules' had to be embedded before they learnt to listen to their hearts and find their own balance. _Another good reason that Kurosaki did not begin as a rookie here_, Hitsugaya vaguely registered, not noticing how naturally his thoughts swerved to the substitute shinigami. He did not want to even imagine what kind of pandemonium the dumbass would have caused.

Returning to the present situation, the captain decided to drop the matter for now. By the resigned look in the terrified eyes ready to well up, it seemed she would never even attempt to approach the office again.

"I trust there will be no second time."

"Of, of course, taichou!"

"Good. So what is it?"

"Ha... hai! A letter has just arrived for you, taichou."

There was a little fumbling as the recruit crossed the room and soon, there was a white envelope presented to him. Hitsugaya gave her a brisk nod as he took it off her hand, effectively dismissing her, and she offered him another profuse apology before closing the door with clear, huge relief when he voiced his acceptance.

There was only his name written in a rather messy writing on the envelope with nothing about the sender but the white envelope used only in the human world had already told him the answer. The glacial jewels danced with amusement and a barely-there smile crept up, coyly tugging the stiff facial muscles into relaxing.

'Toshiro,

I hope you managed to get some more sleep but then I guess I shouldn't be too surprised to hear that your eyes are now permanently stuck open. Karin just rang up, saying there will be a soccer match this weekend and Pops decided we are going to go and stay over a night there. That means I can't come to Soul Society this weekend so will you keep your ass off that stupid chair on your own initiative for once?

There's also something else. I've been thinking about it for a while actually. How would you feel about letting my family know about us, maybe this weekend so that I can tell Karin face to face as well? Don't worry, I won't say anything about shinigami business. It would be just easier for me to visit you without having to leave everything to Kon or cooking up some random lies. I'm not too sure how Karin and Yuzu will react but I guess I'll just have to wait and see. Hopefully Yuzu's not going to burst into tears or something. Even more hopefully, Pops is not going to go into one of his crazy modes again.

It's probably useless saying this but don't work too hard and get some bloody sleep before you forget what futon looks like, 'kay?

Ichigo'

The delicate features were set in a small thoughtful frown by the time the captain reached the end of the letter. So Kurosaki wanted to reveal the true nature of their relationship to his family. Which he had long decided not to object against. The question was, should he be there too?

Just because Isshin already knew of it behind his son's back did not mean the teen would find it easy to blurt it out and Hitsugaya did not have a clue as to how the twins would take the news. All the gawking and the questions that would inevitably follow made him feel light-headed by just picturing the scene but as he had said to Kurosaki at the beginning now nearly a year ago, this was _their_ relationship. It was the least he could do for all the consideration and the comfort the substitute shinigami provided him with.

After eyeing the letter for a few moments, Hitsugaya placed it in the usual drawer before pulling out a blank paper. Soon the inked brush was once again gliding across the pristine sheet, the action fluid and smooth, as the captain transferred his decision into words.

The reply was short and to the point. Neither of them were lengthy speakers, or writers in this case, despite the time Hitsugaya spent filling out the endless paperwork. The captain waited for the wet ink to dry before folding the paper and tied a string securely around it. If he could get it to the delivery team to Urahara shoten before the shipment, Kurosaki could receive his reply tomorrow, or strictly speaking, today since midnight had flown past long ago. Withthe letter gently grasped in his hand, Hitsugaya tucked the Hueco Mundo reports away in his shihakushou and stepped out of the office. There was only one last pile of paper waiting for his attention and Kurosaki's 'get some bloody sleep' was the final encouragement he had needed before succumbing to his tired body's need.

However when Hitsugaya reached the room for the shinigamis on night duty, he had to come to a stop at his subordinates' voices floating across the closed door. He was not one to eavesdrop on others but this time, he remained utterly still and silent with a slightly raised eyebrow. From what he could hear, the subject of the chattering seemed to be none other than himself.

- I told you taichou practically lives in that office, why the hell did you just barge in there?-

-Senpai, look at the time! I really didn't do it on purpose, you know!-

So it was the rookie and her senpai. Hitsugaya locked down his reiatsu even tighter, lest they would notice him lingering outside the door. He had held a little doubt over whether the act had been all innocent but apparently it had truly been a genuine careless mistake.

-Don't ever do it again. Taichou is a very private person and you basically barged into his space uninvited.-

-You don't have to worry about it, it was so scary. And I can't believe his reiatsu. I heard he was the youngest ever to become a taichou but is it even possible to have that much of power in his size?-

The white eyebrows twitched and angry marks popped up here and there on the subject of the two oblivious shinigamis' idle chitchat. Hitsugaya briefly wondered what kind of looks he would get if he was to walk into the room at this precise moment; she just had to mention his stature.

-That's why he's called tendo, right? Just feel lucky that's all you got, taichou has sure gone more lax than before.-

-You call that lax?? Hitsugaya taichou is on par with Kuchiki taichou!-

-You've only just entered so you wouldn't know. He has definitely changed a bit these days. Even for his rank, taichou works way too hard. I don't know what's been happening but I'm glad he's finally getting around to doing something other than his duties.-

There was clear disbelief in the girl's voice which was understandable, considering that she had just seen him in the office, poring over the methodically scattered papers.

-Are you sure… It looked like he was still working when I went to deliver the letter.-

-Well, just before we had you lot coming in, he actually took a weekend off, leaving Matsumoto fukutaichou in charge. I can't remember the last time he was away for anything other than missions or injuries.- Then the thick voice gained a hint of mirth. -It was pretty bizarre to see her instead of taichou in the office. Anyway, where did you get the gut to march in there out of all places?-

_She's going to get nightmares about the administration office_ _now_, Hitsugaya thought with a dry scoff and relaxed the extra-tightened hold on his reiatsu. There was an abrupt halt in the conversation and when he stepped in, the girl that had delivered Kurosaki's letter and his 16th Seat officer were already halfway onto their feet from their seats.

"Hitsugaya taichou!"

"I assume everything's well."

"Hai. The squad is out for patrol but they should be coming back soon."

"I need you to pass this onto the shipment team to Urahara shoten before tomorrow morning. Tell them to give it to Urahara."

"Hai."

"I'm retiring for today. Contact me at the quarters should any problem arise."

There were firm nods from both of the shinigamis and having achieved his original aim, Hitsugaya turned and softly treaded toward his quarters, pursing his lips as his mind revisited the overheard dialogue that had rather surprised him.

While the gap was as small as a pinprick, Hitsugaya knew at the back of his mind that he was different with his lover and his subordinates. In Gotei 13, he was the famed prodigy, the young captain of the tenth division. With the substitute shinigami, he was nothing but Toshiro, Kurosaki Ichigo's lover. And he had always thought that however minute the difference was, there was always a clear-cut line separating them. However according to the conversation, it appeared he was not entirely right.

Whilst his 16th Seat seemed to welcome the subtle change, Hitsugaya was left wondering. He was a captain of Gotei 13 -a very young and small one, too- who had certain images to uphold. It did not sound like those that he had built upon years had crumbled away but was transforming for sure.

And it all came down to one Kurosaki Ichigo.

Then it all came down to the mutual feeling they shared; love.

Love was a scary thing. It did not matter what type of love you held, be it family, friend or romance. It could bring you the ultimate power or the ultimate destruction. It could alter the very base of what made up the person. Hitsugaya knew of it better than anyone else.

Was it love that had changed his dear sister and completely erased his importance from her life?

By this time, Hitsugaya was back on the stone bridge over the still pond that embraced the illusionary twin of the lunar hanging in the ebony canvas, adorned with a splash of pastel pink glowing graciously in the bleached moonlight. The white brows furrowed as the turquoise eyes fixed their gaze on the beautiful lotus effortlessly floating on the water.

Perhaps it was love. Admiration was a different form of love, obsession, an ugly one. Unhealthy, yes, dangerous, yes, but nevertheless, it was just one of many forms love took on.

'Toshiro.'

Hitsugaya almost jumped at the sudden call from his zanpaktou. Hyourainmaru was not much of a talker like himself and hardly ever called out for its master since achieving bankai. Most of their conversations had been when the young tendo needed the legendary creature's wise words.

'Hyourinmaru.'

'It does no good for you to linger on the old subject.'

There was a subtle hint of anxiety in Hyourinmaru's growly voice and with a small shake of his head, the wielder sent a metal wave of reassurance to the unsettled dragon. Protectiveness was just one of many traits the wielder and the zanpaktou shared -after all, dragons had always been more than fond of their precious ones- and Kurosaki was not the only one that still fretted over his state even months after the War that had marked him deeply.

'I was only looking back at what I had with Kurosaki.'

'Are you not content with what you have?'

The snow-topped head shook slightly, the frown replaced with a faint but honest smile.

'No, it's just sometimes hard to believe even now.'

'Do not doubt what is so obviously true, Toshiro. You should not trouble yourself needlessly.'

'Hyourinmaru…?'

'It is time to rest, little one.'

'…Yes.'

The words had a tone more forceful than Hitsugaya thought was required but easing out the creases on his forehead just a little, the captain easily shrugged it from his drowsy mind. He had long grown familiar with Hyourinmaru's quite fierce sheltering of his well-being, similar to a certain strawberry. It was not the first time he had heard the tone from the dragon from their decades-long partnership and probably would not be the last. Throwing one last glance at the serene stillness the nature presented, the prodigy turned and headed towards his resting place.

The plain room was never lost in pitch-black as long as the moon shone in its soft glory, bathing it in misty shimmer, and the teal orbs did not even need time to adjust to the change in the intensity of light. Checking that the futon was already fully prepared, Hitsugaya opened the wardrobe to get his yukata with a little roll of his head for the strained neck and then scoffed.

On one of the shelves sat the stuffed toy that according to Kurosaki, he was supposed to _cuddle_. _As if_, were the two famous words that flashed through the captain's mind, although the sea-green eyes were obviously enjoying the little details in more of a snicker. Momentarily forgetting about the yukata, Hitsugaya picked up the toy and held it out at arm length.

It was certainly not what you would call well-made but it had enough attributes for anyone to guess the original model, if the orange-woollen tuft was anything to go by. Only if that dimwit could actually feel it whenever he bonked the threaded head. And maybe some other things.

With a last tousle, he placed the toy back on the shelf -he was not going to cuddle a _toy_ to sleep- with a small hint of wryness at the end of his lips and finally grabbed the white clothing he had initially wanted to get.

The futon was soft and plush with its embracing softness from the high-quality cotton and the small shinigami snuggled into it, pulling up the duvet. Giving up a small sigh, Hitsugaya let his heavy eyelids droop down as he turned to his side. Hopefully nothing would disturb his sleep until the sunrise then tomorrow after the meeting, he would have to plan out the second search team. However for now, the young tendo pushed everything out of his mind, falling to the black lethargy that had plagued him for hours.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

'Isn't it just perfect, sweetheart?'

The sickeningly sugary voice disturbed the stagnant air in the darkened room but the sole occupant did not give any verbal reply, only nodding to show his acknowledgement. The poisonous zanpaktou sat on his lap as the man absent-mindedly stroked the cool sheath and it hummed happily under the touch.

'So have you got a plan?'

The unfocused eyes turned to the thrumming zanpaktou and stated bluntly, apparently unaware of the innocently childish yet alarmingly fatal contentment exuding from it.

"It won't be difficult."

Soft chuckles resonated in his mind and the hand reached out for a scroll on the table nearby. Untying the thread around it, he gently rolled it out under the hazy moonlight creeping into the shadowed room through the window.

It was a portrait of a happy family, a father, a mother and a daughter, arms around each other's shoulders, cheerfully smiling at the man. The features were soft and warm, their content faces radiating.

'Don't worry, my darling… You've been a good master. I assure you they will not be able to get out of this, not even with that medical shinigami.'

"I know. I trust you, Hebi no Doku."

The thick, syrupy giggle was almost immediately followed with a demanding hum like a kitten wanting loving strokes from its owner and the hand returned to it from the portrait that rolled back shut without the weight.

The New Year banquet could not have come at any better time.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Ichigo, take these lovely people here to the nearest pharmacy!"

"Coming!"

Ichigo bellowed from upstairs, snapping his mobile shut. The clinic had now started its hours for Saturday and in the waiting room with Isshin was an old lady, a middle-aged man supporting her. As soon as the orange mob appeared around the corner, the doctor laughed good-heartedly and turned to his patients.

"My son will take you to the pharmacy. Remember to come back next week, okay?"

"Arigato, Kurosaki sensei."

"Yosh, Ichigo, I leave them to you!"

"Ah, Pops! I need to pop in somewhere on the way back. Won't be long."

Isshin's obsidian eyes flashed and Ichigo belatedly realised he had just made a grave mistake as the man in the white gown -who was supposed to be a _doctor_- torpedoed into him, wringing him at his neck with the nostrils dangerously flaring.

"My son! You cannot be thinking of escaping your duties to fulfil your physical needs even if you are in the mating sea-!!!"

"Will you stop sprouting insanity just for one minute and how many times have I got to tell you that it's not a 'mating season', it's puberty!!! You call yourself a doctor?!!"

Everyone gathered around in the reception simply laughed at the entertainment provided by the courtesy of the Kurosaki family. These little brawls were already famous and rather popular between the regular patients who had got used to them enough to enjoy the doctor's very un-doctor-ly antics. Prying the half-crazed looking man off him, Ichigo quickly turned around and led the old lady and her son out of the clinic, ignoring the teary whining from his father behind him.

"Sorry about that."

The small and fragile lady smiled warmly, shaking her head.

"No, no, it's okay. The young ones nowadays aren't like what we used to be. It's good to see a family being happy together."

Ichigo smiled awkwardly. He was not sure if 'happy' was the word he would use to describe what transpired almost every minute between him and his dad.

Having safely escorted them to the pharmacy, Ichigo bid them good-bye and took off to Urahara shoten. The call had been from the former captain with the usual message; a letter from Soul Society. The reply had been much quicker than he had expected and Ichigo had to wonder just exactly when his stubborn dragon went to bed or if Toshiro even slept at all last night.

When he arrived at the small shop, he found the blond man squatting down outside the door with a familiar black cat in his arms and Jinta holding a sweeping brush in his hand.

"Oi, orange atama (AN:head)!"

"Shut up, kid."

The cat's little meow got the soft brown orbs back to the former shinigamis and Yoruichi jumped over to the teen's shoulder, freeing Urahara's arms so that he could give what their star student had come for.

"Here it is, your letter."

The golden feline eyes watched as Ichigo carefully folded the letter until it would fit his jean pocket instead of reading and questioned shrewdly.

"Not going to read it?"

The teen looked over at his shoulder with a you-gotta-be-kidding look, making the cat laugh naughtily before landing back on the ground with feline grace and Ichigo quickly stowed the letter away. Urahara nearby was one thing but reading the letter with Yoruichi on his shoulder was not something he would never be prepared to do.

"Right, I gotta go back or Pops might go into hysteria."

"Ichigo, I'm going to Soul Society later to see Kuukaku. If you want, I can pay a visit to the tendo."

The hazelnut eyes blinked back a few times, obviously doubtful as to whether his letter would be delivered unopened, but Ichigo soon waved as he turned, apparently having learnt a wisp of diplomacy than letting his mouth run.

"I'll see what he says in the letter first but thanks."

Urahara and Yoruichi watched the disappearing back of the substitute shinigami in silence and it was full five minutes after the messy orange tuft had disappeared that the cat first spoke.

"Talking about the tendo… Kisuke, have you managed to find anything?"

The shoten owner shook his head, his face unusually solemn. Since Matsumoto's visit on New Year Eve, he had been watching the town even more closely than before, only to come up with nothing. Everything seemed to be in order and neither Yoruichi nor himself had come across anything that might insinuate someone pulling invisible wires. The deep black orbs stared ahead fixedly as if a hint would materialise in front of him in the thin air, his hand mindlessly stroking the black furball on his lap. The cat purred contently at the deft caresses before she nudged the man in his belly with her head, making him lower his gaze down to her.

"I hope you haven't made another Hougyouku or something. We've had enough trouble from you already."

Urahara laughed, hiding his face behind his beloved fan.

"Of course not! I've had enough snags too!"

"I sure hope so."

The former 12th division captain feigned his disappointment with a dramatic sigh and a hand on his chest.

"Yoruichi, your distrust cuts me deeply!"

"If I trust you not to invent some balls to cause Armageddon, I'm a brainless furball."

Urahara blinked before he bent down and spoke in an innocently confused voice.

"But Yoruichi, you _are_ a furball."

Three sharp claws drew straight, red lines across the shoten owner's face and the golden eyes glared at the man clutching his face.

"Do I look brainless to you? Ah?"

"N,no… Of course not, Yoruichi... Ouch…."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Yuzu led another of the patients to a seat in the waiting room with an innocent smile that brought the same expression on the other's faces. Everyone, even the new patients, adored the young girl who always helped out her father at this friendly clinic readily as ever.

"Right, if you could just wait…??"

A sudden gust of wind rocketing into the room with a loud clanging of the bell that dangled at the top of the glass doors interrupted her and Yuzu turned around, blinking in surprise at the person that had just shot into the clinic, gasping for breaths with his hands on his knees.

"Onii-chan?"

For a moment, she had been worried that something had happened -had there been another group of foolish idiots who dared to pick on her brother for his hair colour?- so when the orange-haired teen looked up after briefly catching his breath, least to say that she was surprised and for more than one reason.

Her brother, so prone to scowling and smirking, was smiling. That was not all. Yuzu had noticed small, soft smiles on her brother since some time ago which had become one of those things that she and her twin did not understand about Ichigo but the one that lit up the teen's face now was…

"Onii-chan?"

"Yuzu, mind looking after just a little bit longer? I've got something to take care of but I'll be real quick."

The brown-haired girl nodded dumbly at something that she had not seen for years from Ichigo, following the swiftly receding back of her brother with wide eyes. Then she blinked again in perplexity.

What could have given her brother such a smile that virtually screamed of pure happiness as if their mother had never left them and he had never become the brooding teen he was?

-x-

Flopping down into his chair, Ichigo took a few seconds to calm down his ragged breathing that was starting to make him feel a little light-headed. He was not unfit, sure not, but it was also true he was more accustomed to shunpo and the distance between the clinic and the shoten was no easy one to sprint across at full speed, which was exactly what he had just done.

A quite chuckle escaped him -the look on Yuzu just now was priceless; his frosty dragon was doing wonders for him- in between the strained deep breaths and with a last wheezy exhale, Ichigo pulled out something from his pocket, soft adoration sparkling his hazelnut globes as they read the much unexpected and rather startling suggestion from his yuki hime.

'I understand it will be difficult and the twins did seem much attached to you. If you let me know of when on Sunday, I will come over to the real world in time for it. Having seen your family interact, I doubt they will reject you but if they do, you would not have to defend yourself on your own and nor should you do so.'

_Because it's _our_ relationship, right?,_ Ichigo mentally threw the question with a warm smile, reading behind the visible words as he shook his head lightly. His aloof lover had a habit of blowing things up a bit which was just too cute more often than not. He admitted it would not be easy but the most he would have to worry about was probably crude indifference from Karin, crying Yuzu and manic Isshin.

Nevertheless Toshiro's willing offer for his presence made his heart swell so much that the small space within his ribcage was nowhere near enough to accommodate it anymore. It was Hitsugaya Toshiro's way of love, clearly conveyed in the unspoken words to the teen who recognised the difficulty the captain would have to spare the hours, not to mention how uncomfortable his baby dragon found to talk openly about their relationship. It had taken months for the icy prodigy just to get used to 'I love you' between them.

Even though it was nearing their first anniversary, Ichigo could not help the magnitude of his reaction in times like this. Perhaps it was because it was seldom that the stoic shinigami displayed his care for him so blatantly without bashing him over his head. Whatever the reason was, there was a storm of exhilaration coursing through him, fuelling his happy chuckles. His lover was too solemn for his own good sometimes.

"Onii-chan!! Are you not done yet?!!"

"Sorry, coming!!!"

Startling out of the almost visibly crackling high, Ichigo quickly scribbled down an equally short reply then shoved it into his pocket as he dashed out of the room. He would wait until the clinic closed and then ask Urahara for the postal service before leaving for Karin's soccer match. Something was telling him that the ex-Supreme Commander was not going to be the most secure delivery-woman.


	18. Storm approaching

**Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos [#17/?]**  
**Chapter rating**: PG  
**Chapter specific warning**: None  
**Chapter specific spoiler**: None

**Chapter summary**: A shadow of fatality looms over the celebration.

**Author's Note:**

We have many Japanese things coming up in this chapter!

1. **Kamaboko** is steamed loaves of pureed white fish. It can be eaten alone or in hot soups and noodles.

2. **Ozoni**, or zoni, is a soup with mochi rice cakes that Japanese people eat on New Year.

3. **Tazukuri** is dried sardines cooked in soy sauce, it symbolises an abundant harvest.

4. **Kuro-mame** is exactly what it says: black beans.

5. **Nanakusa-gayu** is seven-herb rice soup, usually eaten on January 7th to sooth the stomach. I ignored the tradition on its preparation date.

6. **Jubako** resembles bento boxes but they are specially used for traditional Japanese New Year foods, called **osechi**.

7. **Kamon** are Japanese heraldic symbols, family crests. Apparently, men's kimono for a degree of formality has kamon, three or five. I don't know if the Kuchiki clan has any but being the Great Noble, I'm assuming they do.

7. **Kadomatsu** is a traditional Japanese decoration for New Year, it's made of bamboo and pine and two makes a pair that is put in front of homes.

8. **Mikoshi** is a portable shrine, usually seen in matsuris, in other words, festivals.

Some are what I know, some are from Wikipedia, but being one of those people who don't know what kitchen looks like due to the all famous 'I can't be bothered', I haven't got a clue about the actual cooking process so you can safely assume that most are just made up on common sense.

That was probably the longest explanation I had to do so far. So after all that, the chapter finally starts!

Enjoy! (And please RxR!)

* * *

**:::::Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos by Kanon Ch.17::::: _Storm approaching_**

* * *

If one did not look carefully enough, the kitchen could have passed as onsen with its thick steams tightly packing the stuffy atmosphere but then it could also have been a hot summer matsuri with all the noise and commotion. However what made the buzzing place so delectable were the various aromas assaulting the sensitive nerves in the nostrils even before one opened the door to be greeted with mass hubbub inside. It was bustling with a number of servants who were moving at a speed that would have matched shinigamis' shunpo around the cooking area, weaving in and out of others in a hectic but precisely calculated way, then return to their places where they were each busily preparing different dishes that would make up the grand course meals for the banquet. And this was only the captains' they were preparing for; the vice-captains' getting ready in the other kitchen where the same scene was in play.

Various sounds constantly hit the occupants' eardrums as they chatted to each other even in amidst the dizzy tumult. Scorching fire roared in the stoves on which numerous pots of various sizes were simmering and boiling away while refreshingly green, hand-picked vegetables were washed and chopped, fish sliced professionally and grilled to the perfect brown. In a corner sat a huge tub where more fish were swimming around in a leisurely manner unbefitting the chaos outside of its aquatic world. Unknown to them, their ends were slowly coming though, because sashimi had to be fresh and that was the only reason they got to live a little longer than the rest of their race.

There were not many that had the skills proficient enough to take up the preparation for one of the biggest and highest standard of dinners in Seireitei and the majority of the captains' servants had been asked to help out in the meticulous cooking including Haru.

The number of the servants that each captain could hold was not limited by any set rules, only by common sense, and hence, some had amore number of people tending their needs than the others. Ukitake, being an afflicted man that he was, had at least three hovering around him all the time, lurking in some hidden corners, with the extra two keen sets of eyes trailing him everywhere he went. The two Third Seats, or rather, the Third and Fourth Seat as they were at last separated into different ranks once Kuchiki filled the vacant post, were even worse than before, now that they had a vice-captain dealing with the division's business.

The tenth division captain had in fact started with four when he had first been promoted to the position but on the first day in the division with the vice-captain had come a swift realisation that he would rarely even need one, let alone four. Not long after, only two remained and a few years later, Haru was appointed to replace the third one to leave the premises, the captain's permission granted for the retirement. And that had been the last time that any change had occurred in the servants for Hitsugaya. The young prodigy was the only one that kept just enough to allow the simplest form of rotation between his attendants who were often left idling through their days due to the nearly daily absence of their master.

And hence, Haru and Satsuki had both been enlisted to help bring about the feast preparation against their concerns that the quarters would be left vacant and the captain on his own. While Hitsugaya was certainly not incapable of taking care of himself, a captain was not to be left to his own devices, not in his own living arrangement. Nevertheless, the prodigy reassured them there would be no need for their service as he was unlikely to return from the division, insisting that both should go as that was all he could provide as his part.

Thankfully, the Kuchiki clan had been generous in volunteering their private attendants so that at least one or two could stay behind in the divisions for their captains, allowing Satsuki to be free to carry on her normal duty for Hitsugaya back at the premises.

Satsuki was, most likely, tending to the small garden right now. It did not accommodate a large number of plants or anything exotic, as for that matter. There was a tiny pond near the wall that encased the captain's private residence, smooth, round stones lining the edge, and it was usually the first to freeze in the whole Seireitei when the temperature started to drop. Small bushes and cherubs filled the space between the small body of still water that did not harbour any livings, only a few pastel-pink petals on the surface, having scattered from the middle-aged sakura tree at the corner. On the other side of the pond was a grey stone lantern with octagon-shaped roof that the raindrops would splash on before trailing it down to join the stagnant water below it in a plump.

All in all, it was simply a small, personal garden and nothing more than that but it still required some attentive caring regularly and Satsuki had those magic green fingers. It seemed the wintry captain enjoyed the vibrant display of vitality in green and pink in those rare moments that he had the chance to appreciate the nature, not to mention the frequent visitor the lodgings saw nowadays.

Remembering the orange-haired teen, Haru giggled to herself as she wiped off the thin coat of perspiration on her forehead. The air was more than stifling; every place that was suitable for starting a fire had been lit for various purposes and with her exertion over the long hours of endeavour, there was nothing she wanted more than a single cool breeze at this moment.

Kurosaki Ichigo was, well, interesting. And seemingly an odd yet perfect fit with the icy prodigy. What had transpired between the two scowl-prone shinigamis remained a mystery for her and Satsuki but neither of them were about to poke into it. They were simply happy that someone was finally being there for the powerful yet young genius, ready to share the weighty burden those still growing shoulders carried. What had happened between Aizen, Hinamori and Hitsugaya previously and at the War was now no secret, all having been officially announced and recorded. And from then on, the impenetrable ice walls around the white-haired shinigami had only intensified along with the dark bags under the pained turquoise eyes.

The young boy harboured too much inside him for one of his age, however mature inside, to handle on his own and it was about time that someone lent him a shoulder for once.

A shrilling sound from a large pot on the stove next to her startled Haru out of her musings and hurriedly, she lifted up the heavy lid by the small protruding handle in the middle. Her face split into a wide, satisfied grin when the perfectly boiled rice appeared below the thick, white steam that dissipated into the hot air. So far, although hectic, the preparation was coming along well. If she was lucky, she might even be able to pick up a few recipes for some of the delicacies and perhaps serve them later in privacy for the frosty prodigy to enjoy with the object of his tentatively budding love. With a chuckle, Haru nodded to herself then transferring the glistening rice into a smaller, more manageable wooden tub, called out loud for various seasonings which were passed down to her almost immediately.

While Haru got about with seasoning the rice that would be later used for sushi, a hob was supporting several pots on her right, another servant checking the insides once in a while. In the two smaller ones at the front, pink and white kamabokos were swirling around in the boiling water. Behind them was another pot of rice and at the far back, ozoni was simmering away in the largest cauldron, the lid slanted so that the steam had an escape route. And from the smell wafting towards from her from the other side, it appeared someone was getting ready to work on tazukuri and kuro-mame. There was a loud shout over the clamour to check nanakusa-gayu just as the wooden door slid open, resulting in a slight diminution of raucous noises and a welcoming smile on Haru's face.

A well-built man stood there with his hands filled with myriad of sake bottles, the fat-bellied porcelains clanging dangerously, held in the midair by the strings around their necks. The dark eyes blinked in surprise at the near pandemonium spread out in front of him before they caught the one they had been looking for and the man cupped his hand in front of his mouth as he lifted the bottles up in the air so that the girl could see them.

"Haru, I've got them for you!"

With her hands stuck in the rice, Haru could only bounce on the spot, jerking her head in gesture for him to come over with an apologetic look. The purple irises, so deep that they were close to ebony, scanned the room with a raised eyebrow then with a shrug, the shinigami zigzagged through the bustling kitchen. The journey was not all smooth, the man being unfamiliar with the invisible routes of the kitchen, and in the end, bumped into someone that he apologised with a sheepish smile before finally reaching the busy girl.

"Arigato! Sorry for making you do this but with just a few hours to go, everyone was too busy!"

The man shook his head, trying to put all the china bottles on a tiny space left on a table behind the girl in the middle of the room. All the other servants were engaged with their own food and when one asked what time it was, some panicked while others let out a relieved sigh.

"No, it's okay. So Kyouraku taichou insisted on these, huh? It must be really nice sake."

"I guess so. Apparently that bar is the only place that handles them."

"So how is it going? It's like a war here."

An amused laughter came not just from Haru but from the nearby servants as well who had heard the comment, some nodding in agreement while Haru just gave a casual shrug.

"Oh, it's not too bad, I guess. We are getting there and the soup is all ready so we would be able to start the meal on time at least."

"It smells great in here. So the soup is ozoni? Not much of a surprise, is it?"

Haru chuckled as she nodded and gave another jerk of her head at the large, tall pot on the hob next to her, keeping her hands busy with the rice. It was a lot for a girl of her size and she was practically using her whole body to swirl the rice around, mixing in various seasonings.

"It's New Year celebration after all. It's a special recipe from the Kuchiki clan and I have to say, they do know how to make some very exquisite stuff. I guess that's what should be expected from those working for the Great Nobles."

One of the servants walked past them with a bowl of fresh salad and swiftly returned to her place. On the other side, another woman was intently watching the fish as not to burn them as they slowly changed their colours to crispy brown on the small coal fire and on the island table in the middle, the finished foods were being placed with great care in many different, elegant jubakos, small flowers added here and there as ornaments. Haru saw the man at the corner of her eyes, leaning over the stove on tiptoe with the lid in his hand and peering inside of the cauldron at the back.

"Looks good, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. I wish I could have some."

Haru laughed at the wishful tone but because she could say anything else, her friend a few places down called for her, asking her to pass down a bottle of sauce nearby her. She quickly grabbed the black-lacquered flask and turned around.

"Here you go but I'm going to need it back!!"

When she returned her attention back to the task in hand**,** the man had already closed the lid back on the pot and she sent a playful wink at him, clucking her tongue in a mock chide.

"I hope you didn't steal a sip just now."

"Of course I didn't! What kind of ill wish have I got to have to taste taichous' osechis before them?"

"Just kidding. I never realised taichous held celebrations like this but I'd say it's about time. They do deserve it, after all."

"…I agree. So has anyone else been in?"

Haru grabbed small amount of rice from the tub, breaking out into another amused laughter. The seasoning was done and now she had moved onto making little oval-shaped balls on which the sashimi would be placed on later.

"Yeah, Kyouraku taichou kept sending Ise fukutaichou to check that we have enough of the right sake until midday. We think Ise fukutaichou simply got too annoyed to follow the request since then. I heard Oomaeda fukutaichou and Matsumoto fukutaichou have been taking turn to visit the other kitchen as well."

"Well, it is a rare chance for them to get together and have fun, I guess. Alright, I'm off then. If you need more, just let me know."

"Thanks for the delivery!"

The man walked out with a wave of his hand, not bothering to reply over the deafening sounds of the kitchen. He immediately made a bee line to get out of the building and it was only when he set his foot on the outdoor corridor that the shinigami let out the breath he had been holding. A soft, sweet chuckle echoed in his mind and he felt a mental pat from his zanpaktou who praised him in a slick voice.

'Well done. Now all you have to do is wait.'

He took a deep breath in to calm down his thumping heart. That split second the girl had turned away from him had been enough to complete the last of his long-waited plan. The oddly blank eyes looked up at the blazing sun that seemed to expose him to his deepest that he had to quickly tear his eyes away. Staring at the shadowed floor without blinking, the man nodded, muttering quietly.

"Yes. All we have to do is wait."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Ichigo, door! He goes into the room at the end!! Yuzu, I need you over here after that!"

"Hai!!"

Ichigo cursed under his breath as he ran to the glass doors, opening it wide so that the paramedics could bring another badly injured man into the clinic on a stretcher while Yuzu led the way to the room appointed by Isshin who was, in turn, buzzing around the chaos. Being Saturday, the clinic was going to close in the afternoon but just when they were wrapping things up to leave for Karin's soccer match, a huge scale of pile-up had taken place at the nearby intersection, two of them turning out to be buses filled with passengers. Being the nearest clinic with a basic emergency room, the victims were being brought to the Kurosaki Clinic, the more serious ones transported to a bigger hospital on the other side of the town once Isshin had stabilised them as much as possible.

All the available rooms were filled with bleeding and broken people, painful groans and urgent shouts grating their eardrums, as Ichigo and Yuzu ran around the clinic with various medical equipments in their hands to help their father.

"Ichigo, get me the IV bags!"

"How many?!"

"Four!"

Ichigo dashed to the storage room, deftly weaving in and out of the occupied paramedics and the patients with his trained reflex, and looked through the shelves. Thankfully Isshin had not changed the arrangement since the last time he had helped out the clinic so he was able to locate the clear bags in a second. He had just bent down to grab them when something fell out from his pocket onto the floor, stopping his hands just a few inches away from the tray of IV bags.

A discontent frown crinkled the forehead further when Ichigo recognised it; the reply that he had written a few hours ago. To be honest, he wanted Toshiro to come over, not because he needed the support but because he wanted to introduce his precious prince properly to his family. However knowing that Toshiro's day was packed to brim with the usual duties and the investigation, Ichigo had wavered the suggestion that still made him smile, reassuring his lover that there would not be any grave problems and that the busy captain did not have to pull away from work yet again for his sake.

"ICHIGO!"

"Coming!!"

A litany of creative foul words escaped the teen as he hastily snatched four of the tightly sealed bags. Quickly picking up the letter, Ichigo put it back in his pocket as carefully as he could manage while running back to the room where Isshin was waiting for him. Ichigo grimaced unnoticeably when he overheard two paramedics saying there were still half of the bus passengers yet to be rescued from the carnage. With the current circumstances, it was going to be near impossible for his letter to reach his lover before tomorrow.

Maybe he would get Urahara to send a hell butterfly instead early tomorrow morning so that that the captain was not left wondering what was going on but for now, he had to focus on helping his father and saving the patients.

He really did not like the idea of performing konso on those that he had just tried to rescue and failed.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Taaiiichoooouuuu! Look, aren't I pretty?"

Hitsugaya's eyebrows were frenziedly twitching as Matsumoto energetically bounced into the room. She had left the office two hours ago to 'doll up'; why the effort when they were faces that she saw on daily basis was beyond the prodigy. Only if she would so enthusiastically walk into the office on time for her work. Stomping down a yell of irriation, he ignored the little twirl Matsumoto did just in front of the door, the pink furisode sleeves swaying in the air. She chuckled lightly at his silent treatment and cupping her hands in front of her mouth, shouted across the administration office.

"Taichou, you really have to go and get changed now! The feast is going to start soon!"

"Damnit, is it time already?!"

"Yeah, so hurry up, taichou!!"

Barely managing to stop cursing, Hitsugaya hurriedly stood up with a glance out at the darkening sky, roughly putting the strewn papers and brushes away when Matsumoto urged him on again. Apparently, he was really going to be late.

"Taichou, I'll clean up so quick!"

Hitsugaya looked at his vice-captain sceptically but if Matsumoto had spent long enough to be satisfied and give him a catwalk, the time was surely approaching fast. Doubtful or not, he did not have other choice.

"Matsumoto, you better live up to your words."

"Sure, taichou. It'll be spotless but that's not important right now!"

The flailing made the long sleeves flutter in the air like butterfly wings and Hitsugaya shot an unconvinced look at Matsumoto before he dashed out of the office. He groaned again just as he was going through the door. His eyes had caught the busty woman saluting comically behind his back with a giddy smile.

Hitsugaya darted through the division building, startling his subordinates who blinked at the flurry of white that soon vanished from their view. It was not long before the captain reached his quarter, his face set in a perturbed scowl. Today had been one of those days that various requests and complains simply flood in to swamp him and the diligent captain was now behind his work more than he would have liked, only fuelling his -relatively speaking- unusually grouchy mood.

No more than five minutes, that was how long it took for the irritated prodigy to enter the bedroom and switch his garbs from the coal-black shihakushou to the smart, traditional kimono that perfectly matched his eye colour. Hyourinmaru that had been taken off during the change was instantly back again, the sash almost undistinguishable from the clothes that the golden brooch looked like kamon on the kimono and the zanpaktou seemingly held in its place mysteriously.

Matsumoto had been waiting for her captain on the stone bridge after having given the desk a quick clean -in other words, swipe everything into the first drawer- and the moment Hitsugaya appeared, apparently unaware of her presence, she could not help but happily squeal. Given the inhuman pitch of it, the white-haired shinigami thought he could not be blamed for almost instinctively stepping away from her. Recalling the note-to-self now was a tad too late.

"Taichou!! That is a beautiful kimono!! I'm actually surprised, either Ichigo has unexpectedly good fashion eyes or he just knows what makes you look good."

The china-white cheeks flared up in red before Hitsugaya grunted out something along the line of the usual 'Shut up, Matsumoto' and the vice-captain giggled. She really thought that the teen had outdone it with the kimono for her captain. Her expert eyes could tell at the first glace that the fabrics were of high quality and the soft but shimmering emerald colour really brought out the prodigy's large eyes.

"Matsumoto, you are the one who said we will be late. Get moving!"

"Ah, wait for me, taichou!"

Tottering on her zori with an excited smile, she ran as fast as she could, careful not to trip over, and then frowned slightly with an arched eyebrow when she did catch up with him. The irritable prodigy seemed to be in rather bad mood, even if she took her absence during the day into account.

"Taichou, you seemed to be really crabby right now."

"Zip it, Matsumoto. With you forever flying in and out of the office and worrying about stupid sake, it's been near impossible to concentrate."

"But taichou, this is _you_ we are talking about here. You never fail to focus on your work whatever I do. Is something on your mind?"

Hitsugaya did not reply, ignoring the curious gaze. Matsumoto had been around him for long enough to know when he was telling the truth and when not, although she did not dig into it. And it would be a lie if he was to say nothing was wrong because even he himself could tell that his irritation was reaching high up the sky. However he was not about to admit that some stupid papers -had today been dedicated to stupidest complaints, unknown to him?- had got to him which meant it was time to change the subject.

"Matsumoto, I'm not even going to ask you to come into work on time tomorrow so at least don't wreck the whole dinner and embarrass the division."

"Taichou, you know you can expect more than that from me!"

The scoffing turquoise orbs rolled around. He had exaggerated a bit but Hitsugaya knew that it would be a phenomenal miracle if his vice-captain came into work tomorrow at all.

A rather astonishing scene greeted them when they arrived at the the first division. Long white flags were draped down the walls on either side of the wide open gate, the insignias of the thirteen divisions printed boldly on each of them, swaying majestically in the winter breeze. From the top of the building, various coloured curtains glided down the softly lit air to the ground where small poles held each of the ends down at what seemed to be meticulously measured intervals. There also hung large paper lanterns on both sides of the gate, lighting up the traditionally made kadomatsus under them. Next to each of katomatsus were two attendants, dressed in red, florid kimonos, awaiting for the arrivals of the captains and the vice-captains of Gote 13 to lead them to the celebration held for the first time in decades.

"Hitsugaya taichou, Matsumoto fukutaichou. Welcome to the feast."

"Arigato."

"If you would follow us, please."

"Wow, they are really going all out this year, aren't they, taichou?"

Hitsugaya merely nodded, taking a quick look around. The division that he had frequently visited looked very different from usual with its festive beautifications. Once they followed the attendants through the gate, they realised there was even an elaborately carved and plated mikoshi with a gold-plated phoenix on its top, resting in the middle of the entrance hall as to draw all the guests' attentions.

This was much more than what Ukitake had relayed to him about the previous one in too many details, leading Hitsugaya to believe that this year's feast had been planned to be much more lavish. After all, it had not been after a gruesome yet victorious war back then. Even after the historical triumph, Seireitei had remained on high alert, all the able shinigamis instantly put back on duties due to the sheer amount of the rebuilding required, and the captains and the vice-captains had been on duty almost 24/7 throughout the post-war period.

As they went deeper into the building, the mouthwatering aromas wafted through the corridor and Matsumoto squealed in excitement, her steps bouncy. Hitsugaya snorted indifferently as his vice-captain counted off all the foods she expected, her face lit up in a highly anticipating smile with much eagerness like a child going to a funfair for the first time. Then the corridor split into two and the attendants turned around.

"Hitsugaya taichou, if you would follow me, please. Matsumoto fukutaichou, Yuuko here will take you from here."

"Sayonara, taichou! Please relax and have lots of sake!"

Hitsugaya only deadpanned as Matsumoto waved her hands high in the air before taking a right turn with the one called Yuuko then followed the other attendant down the left corridor which he knew to lead to the room where the captaincy meetings were normally held.

The large hall had not been left out of the transformation, furniture for the occasion already in the place. There were two rows of square-shaped tables with a single separate one at the front and on the wall behind each of them hung the same white flags Hitsugaya had seen outside the building, only smaller. Thin, translucent silks of soft pastel colours were draped over the banners that would have otherwise stiffened the atmosphere with its stark white and black, and Hitsugaya blinked when he saw his own division's was glistening in soothing pale green. Next to the tenth division's, the 12th was doused with deeper tone of purple than the third's nearer to the front and on its left, a dash of pink adorned the eighth one which was no surprise.

The attendant that had led him gave another bow, wishing him good night, and with a word of thank you, Hitsugaya walked into the room. If the division insignias were any of a hint, it seemed that the seating arrangement had been made to match their stands during captaincy meetings. While Hitsugaya could not fully disagree that it could have been better, he soon concluded it could also have been worse. After years in his position, a variety of stupidity from Kurotshuchi and Kyouraku was something Hitsugaya had grown used to enough to let it flow in through one ear and out through the other straight away.

A few steps into the room and Hitsugaya realised Matsumoto had indeed been right in that he would have been late had she not hurried him. Most of the captains were already in small groups talking to each other, some looking decidedly more excited than others, making him one of the last few that were yet to arrive. Noticing his fellow Shiro-chan's entrance, Ukitake excused himself from Komamura and Ichimaru, waving his hand to catch the prodigy's attention, then acclaimed in a pleasantly startled tone.

"Hitsugaya taichou, the kimono is a perfect match with your eyes!"

"Ukitake…"

"It is! It looks very good on you, Hitsugaya taichou."

Hitsugaya mentally groaned at the direct compliment from the 13th division captain who beamed like a father happy to see his well prepped son far too much for his liking. The older shinigami was in cobalt blue kimono, the striking colour making his long white hair stand out even more starkly.

"I had been a little worried because I wasn't sure if you owned a kimono but it seems there was no need!"

Not wanting to be the subject of the brilliantly flattering -not- conversation anymore, Hitsugaya cleared his throat and changed the topic. Any more praises on his kimono and his face was going to burst in a crimson volcano.

"It's a little odd to see everyone in kimonos."

Ukitake smiled knowingly with small bobbing of his head.

"It is, isn't it? Kuchiki finds it weird to see me without a haori, never mind** a** kimono."

Hitsugaya took another look at each of his fellow captains as they neared his seat. As presumed, the arrangement had placed Kyouraku on Hitsugaya's left while his right was left unoccupied as Kurotshuchi had yet to arrive. Kyouraku, being the flashy man he was, was in a kimono similar to the pink, flowery haori he always wore over his white one, easily outwinning Abarai who was, much to Hitsugaya's surprise, in a simple, single-coloured kimono, its colour mirroring the passion in the blazing crimson mane, only a shade darker.

"Yo, tensai. It's your first time, isn't it?"

Hitsugaya nodded as he sat down while Ukitake took a place between Kyouraku and Byakuya, starting a conversation with the stoic noble. The sake-loving captain was obviously eager for the banquet to begin, not for the food but for the drinks since his hand was already toying with the saucer-like sake glass on the table. Hitsugaya just hoped he would not be pulled into the carefree captain's drunken chaos even if Kyouraku was merry in his cups. After all, if he had got inebriated enough to try to dance with the ruthless Chinese shinigami in the previous feast, what was to stop him doing it again this time?

"It will be fun, learn to relax. There will be music and things later on, too."

It was not long before the rest of the captains started to arrive. Soi Fon and Unohana were in beautifully patterned kimonos that had spectacular effects on the two women. The yellow kimono with large, carefully threaded flowers softened the fierceness of the Chinese captain while the pale green one with clouds and births emphasised the healer's gentleness. Hitsugaya received a rather unexpected shock when Soi Fon stopped briefly on her way to the front to compliment on the colour of his kimono -perhaps they were truly letting their hair down?- then a bit of disappointment when Hisagi walked in, wearing a deep violet kimono with subtle patterns along the bottom, the mysteriousness of the purple adding a spice on the punk-like look of the new captain. It seemed Ayasegawa actually remembered what occasion it was for.

Once all of the 12 captains had settled down in their seats, Yamamoto entered the room in a black kimono that was much similar to shihakushou but more formal.

"Thank you all for coming. It has been rather long since we had last enjoyed the New Year together and I hope you take this chance to relax before returning to your duties and responsibilities. I know that all of you have been working very hard for the sake of Soul Society and even though one night off is not enough to match your endeavours, take it as a sign of my appreciation and enjoy yourselves."

There was a small smile on the wrinkled face and that was enough to soften the air that had instantly turned sharp with the Head Captain's appearance out of habit. With the beginning of the banquet announced, the servants that had been standing on either side of the hall silently and skilfully moved around the room, serving the captains with the first dish of the grand dinner before the exquisite osechi would make their appearances. The New Year soup had been simmering long enough to bring out the full flavour of the ingredients and had just got off the fire so was still piping hot, a perfect dish to warm them up in the chilly winter.

Once the small bowls were placed on every captain's table, the servants stepped back to their original places. Hitsugaya heard a quiet hum of pleasure from Kyouraku who was obviously more than satisfied with the appetizing smell prodding their noses and vaguely nodded in agreement He was no picky eater by any means but the aroma was superb, teaching him that a simple soup could turn very delectable if needed.

"There will be no need for such strict formality tonight. This is a joyous occasion prepared for you so relieve yourself of any stress. There should be no talks of work during the banquet."

There was a faint hint of mirth in the last few words and Hitsugaya scowled as he clearly heard the eight division captain muttering with an amused glance towards the two on either side of him, "Some people are going to have difficulty conversing tonight."

"And now, let us enjoy the exquisite dinner."

And with that, all the captains picked up their porcelain spoons and took a first sip of the steamy clear liquid.


	19. Crimson splash

**Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos [#18/?]**  
**Chapter rating**: PG-13  
**Chapter specific warning**: ...Load of BS  
**Chapter specific spoiler**: None

**Chapter summary**: All the captains are down and Hitsugaya races against time and his own power.

**Author's Note: **

…I'm making up load of crap here. I can only hope none of it sounds too out of it. Sorry if it does. *mopes in a dark, mushroom-growing corner* And I seem to have not made this clear enough but it was the soup that the mysterious shinigami poisoned, not the sake ^^;;

Enjoy… please. *trembles in uncertainty*

* * *

**:::::Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos by Kanon Ch.18::::: _Crimson splash_**

* * *

A variety of laughter filled the festive air, ranging from quiet giggles to outright choking, accompanied with clear clangs of flat, top-quality china glasses, and someone slapping the cool floor in a vain attempt to relieve the tight pressure around the chest from the raucous guffawing that would simply not stop. The fat-bellied sake bottles went round and round the tables that the vice-captains had taken the initiative in breaking out of boring parallel lines in the favour of more friendly, interactive circle in the middle of the adequately sized room. A heavily fashion-vocabulary riddled conversation was currently in place between the beautiful -and loud- tenth division vice-captain and the feminine ninth division vice-captain who had a lapful of pink blob, making sure that his ex-vice-captain did not get her tiny hands on any sake that was whizzing past them. When Zaraki had once offhandedly passed a small glass of the alcohol to the little girl, it had turned out to be one hellish mistake that led to countless nightmares for the subordinates that had been present at the time.

"Next time we get days off, we'll go to the real world together and I'll take you to that store. I tell you, it's so much cheaper than here and the range they have! It's unbelievable!"

And with the dreamy sigh and distant eyes, Matsumoto pulled her sake glass out of Yachiru's reach just in time, her move proficiently practiced over a length of time that not a single drop was lost. The small vice-captain pouted and blew raspberry at her, to which the curvaceous woman only giggled with a teasing wink and did not waste a second longer in draining it in one go. Yumichika also took his chance to empty his glass while his charge was distracted, sending a silent signal to Nanao for refill behind his back. He was not going to have any sake bottle lingering more than three seconds in the view of the hyperactive girl.

Nevertheless, all in all, it was an occasion of merriment, the thirteen vice-captains enjoying the wonderful food, the smooth, delicious sake, and the joyous party atmosphere.

"I wonder if taichou is having fun…"

"Rangiku-san, you should know the answer to that already."

Matsumoto sighed unhappily, mildly glaring when Yumichika chuckled. Yachiru remained oblivious to all, too absorbed in following the white china bottle with sparkling eyes, ready to pounce on it when it came round. However her caretaker had already caught the silent movement and with a flick of the purple eyes, the flask was back on moving in opposite direction, much to the girl's dismay.

"He looked so gorgeous in that kimono of his though…"

"Oh?"

"Yeah, you should've seen it. It's this soft, turquoise…?!"

Abruptly, all the noisy hubbubs in the room subdued into unbreakable silence and the gathered shinigamis looked at each other with wide eyes as if to confirm that they were not imagining things.

A number of reiatsus spiking up unstably had intruded their spiritual senses then vanished just as quick as it had come but there was no mistake in whom those reiatsus belonged to. Even Yachiru had turned as still as ice in Yumichika's lap. Furrowing her eyebrows, Matsumoto turned to the direction of the meeting hall where her small taichou would be. All of a sudden, the unusually thick, irate air that had enveloped the young prodigy before the celebrative dinner nagged and pestered her. Was it really a simple something that the irksome paperwork could be entirely blamed for? After all, the famed tendo's intuition was not one to be lightly looked over.

"…What was that?"

However, before anyone could come up with any presentable answer, another unleashing of a well-known reiatsu had the twelve pairs of widened eyes falling on the busty vice-captain who had already put down the sake glass, the jolly smile from a minute ago nowhere to be seen as she whipped around for Hai Neko.

Something was going very, very wrong at the captains' New Year banquet.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"!!!!"

The emerald eyes widened in alarm the moment the first gulp of the clear soup seared the tongue and ignoring all the manner and etiquette for such a banquet, Hitsugaya bolted from his seat in a flash and spat out the hot liquid on the shiny floor. He was not the only one either. Albeit slower, Unohana and Soi Fon seemed to have also noticed it, warily looking at the puddle of soup they had just spewed out.

"Don't drink the soup!!!"

The loud voice carried a tone of urgency at a level that had never been heard of from the icy prodigy, echoing shrilly throughout the large hall and startling the other captains, but it was too late. All the others except the three had already swallowed the ozoni that had made the master of water and ice go into red alert instinctively. Cursing mentally, Hitsugaya sought for the fourth division captain but just as his eyes caught the healer already pulling out her zanpaktou with a grave frown unbefitting her usually calm exterior, a violent lurch wrecked his stomach with anabrupt gag reflex and before he knew, his hand had already shot up to clasp over his mouth

A split second was all it took for him to realise this was no normal nausea. The digestive organ was tensing then going into spasm, aggressively trembling under the excruciating clawing of gnawing clutch, and the scowl on the whitened face worsened as Hitsugaya barely beat it down with a thick gulp. The soup had only touched his tongue yet apparently, that had been more than enough.

"Hey, tensai. What's…"

Having managed to gulp down the steamy ozoni without getting choked at the sudden scream like most others, Kyouraku blinked with a raised eyebrow but he never got to finish his bemused question at the young shinigami that had unexpectedly bolted from his seat. And neither did he have to. Hitsugaya could visibly see the fatal wrongness of the situation starting to set in on the soft but masculine features just as it was in every single fibre of his soul and the harsh echoes of porcelains spoons hitting the wooden tables and floor followed the perplexed silence.

The sharp teal orbs caught the healer's hand swiftly moving to her zanpaktou, at which the prodigy allowed himself to feel a small hint of relief, but the paled face distorted stiffly at the creepy scene when a freaky gargling sound from the right had it turning reflexively towards it. The 12th division captain was not any better even with his modified body; in fact, the emotionless eyes were twitching and widening as if to pop out of their sockets.

Cursing under his breath, Hitsugaya snapped around to the attendant standing not too far behind him and was about to order her to fetch the vice-captains when a sudden pang of feral ripping shot through his entire body, instantly paralysing him, and before he knew, his eyes had scrunched shut and his teeth, about to draw blood from his lower lip.

Tight clamping of his lips managed to prevent the painful whimper escaping him but it was not enough to stop his knees buckling on their own accords. One by one, the organs were exploding in agonising screams.

Something foreign and undoubtedly dangerous was flowing through his veins, causing chaotic upheaval in his system, even when he had not swallowed the spiked soup. It was not the first time Hitsugaya had been faced with poisoning; it was a rare but one of the most threatening, dangerous abilities for shinigamis that some Hollows attained after losing their hearts and while less than a handful of times, the prodigy had had his experiences in the field. However this was something wholly on its own level.

It was urging the very blood that flowed through his veins to ruthlessly assault the host.

The viscous fluid that used to deliver the essence of life around his body and made his heart beat was now attacking every crooks and corners of his soul it could reach and his pain sensors were going into overdrive as they continued to shoot electrical signals to his brain which was having hard time in processing the sudden huge influx. There was not one that could escape the bitter cannibalistic attacks. The very thing that was the symbol of life was now the bringer of the true death.

In the end, a low growl left the pallid lips but went unheard by anyone in amidst the horrified commotion. The situation was fast tumbling down a hill with no brake; most of the captains were now spluttering blood and Unohana and Soi Fon looked only so much better near the front. Though his suffering seemed to be slightly less than the others that had realised the deadly truth all too late, it was only by an unrecognisable degree.

Just then, through the pain in its rawest form, the hectic shouts from the shocked servants, and the hacking coughs from the afflicted captains, a sound of metal hitting the wooden floor pierced his eardrums and the turquoise eyes widened with a hint of distressed fear when they verified the origin.

It was a grim sight. The soft pastel green that had perfectly expressed the tranquillity that the fourth division captain carried herself by was now tainted with rotten inky blood that trailed down from her mouth in thick stream. Just out of her arm's reach laid sealed Minatzuki, abandoned on the floor that was turning ominously dark red.

Unohana never got to releasing her zanpaktou.

Hitsugaya took another hurried swipe across the hall but there was no need nor time for another analysis of their present condition; the stabbing pain in his abdomen made sure he knew that. An invisible mallet had begun to mercilessly hammer his prickling peripheries and nothing was perceived correctly by the perturbed senses that had gone haywire. The poison was working towards its aim at a frighteningly rapid rate and the only medic in the room was down.

Finally, the tender flesh broke under the added pressure from the sharp teeth, crimson droplets oozing out to redden the pure whiteness of them, and Hitsugaya called out for his zanpaktou, his decision made. It was do or die and he was not going to go down with a fight.

'Hyourinmaru!'

It was definitely something not recommended. It was not even something Hitsugaya had ever done before. However it was an only option where, otherwise, something that no one had thought possible could very well happen tonight. With the bloody Death approaching them rapidly in its grim cloak unbefitting the soft but vibrant decorations of the room and Unohana unable to hold herself, Gotei 13 was soon going to be saying its goodbyes to all of its captains in one night if something was not done immediately.

"…Hi…Hitsugaya taichou…"

A trembling voice, feeble and frightened, attempted to reach out to him before fading away in fuzz, then somehow crawled its way through the agonising pain that was wrecking his body at the moment. His nails scratched the wooden floor as the hands curled tightly into white-knuckled fists and Hitsugaya forced his eyelids to open up. His vision was blurred and corners of it were starting to disperse crimson dye as if bleeding. Every intake of blood-scented air stabbed his screeching lungs and the spasmodic stomach threatened to cripple him into a crammed ball with its excruciating clawing and gnawing clutch.

"…Get… the fukutaichous… immediately…"

It was only breathy, raspy whispers yet the four words were easily one of the most difficult words he had ever had to utter, each syllable only an inch away from turning into anguished groans.

"Ha…Hai!!"

The girl hastily getting back on her feet again was all he could keep his eyes open for, the vision falling back into darkness again as the eyelids clamped down again.

The dragon's gruff voice sounded far and hazy but it reached him more clearly than anything else currently hailing his slowly malfunctioning hearing. Resigned concern dragged down the tone of the rumbling growl but he could feel the mighty dragon already uncurling itself from his inner world, the icy wings stretching out majestically.

'…It seems we do not have any other choice.'

Hitsugaya grimaced but it was not from the agony flooding his small body. The odds were that if successful, he would effectively, not neutralise, but completely remove the toxin out of his system. However the only choice of theirs that he had never done before also carried a huge amount of risk, not to mention that it was going to be hard to maintain the required level of exactness and fine delicacy in control of his reiatsu through the ripping stabs and sore spasms. A slip for longer than a second and the result was not going to be pleasant at all, one way or the other.

'We cannot wait for fukutaichous, the poison is too fast. Either we do this now or…'

'Do not speak more for it will not happen. Prepare yourself and we shall remain standing at the end of this.'

The unwavering assurance grounded his over-stimulated mind firmly, easing the troubled scowl on the pallid face a little.

'Focus, little one. I'm not planning to lose my young master this early.'

A pair of blazing ruby eyes bore into his intently from his inner world and the young prodigy gave a curt nod, aware of the taut tension running through him and his zanpaktou even in amidst of the overwhelming suffering. Then Hyourinmaru spoke of words that he had not expected to hear.

'Toushirou, do not forget of the one that awaits you.'

If he had half a mind to spare, Hitsugaya would have scoffed at the image that either his subconscious or his zanpaktou had projected on his closed eyelids; a crookedly grinning idiot of an orange-haired substitute shinigami. Instead, he only shook his head unnoticeably, not admitting that the image had fortified his determination further than anything else could have done.

A strained deep breathe marked the rise in the glacial reiatsu along with the ragged shards of broken concentration pulled and put back together. Slowly, the panic-laden ruckus started to die away to mute, all existences thrown out of the world until there was nothing left but him and him alone. The pain induced from the circulation of his reiatsu was excruciating, his limbs seemingly being torn apart in bloodthirsty rawness, as the summoning of his power only sped up the spread of the poison. Most likely, it was a part of counter system against the practice of reiatsu to ensure the kill or perhaps a last streak of humanity to grant the victim a quick death once the target lost control over their reiatsu. It was hard to tell and it did not matter.

This was a battle against time, coupled with very effective distraction called pain, and torturous it might be, he would push the limit of his tolerance of physical agony if his survival depended on it.

A gusty wind from the flapping of grand wings alerted the tendo of the ready departure of the mythical ruler and Hitsugaya did not bother stopping his conscience securely latching onto the image that he still insisted Hyourinmaru had dragged out of his memory. A roaring voice of Hyourinmaru shook his eardrums again, freeing them from the numbness.

'You know what's at stake. Do not let yourself be distracted.'

And with a silent nod of the white-spiked head, the icy dragon was freed from its lair.

The servants who had been frenetically tending the sick captains to the best of their abilities involuntarily shuddered as the room temperature took a sharp plummet and looked up with even greater terror, wondering what had now befallen upon them. The source was obvious and in fact, it drew collective, relieved sighs from them, then the room dove into lost silence.

Thick, hardened tension choked the soundless air, ready to shatter at the smallest move. Only the gargling and hacking coughs were daring enough to goad the edginess as all the eyes were fixed on one figure bent over the floor that was covered in a thin, translucent sheet of ice. The temperature of the hall was dropping fast, nearing that of Arctic, and while it caused many to shiver involuntarily, there was not one in the right mind to question why the frost was strangely limited to a small circle around the white-haired shinigami instead of the sheer radius the infamous dragon usually covered.

Nervous glances bounced back and forth between the unaffected ones, none venturing to speak of a budding hope. At least one captain seemed to be just a step further away from the blood-splattered chaos than the others. However none of them understood what the tenth division captain was trying to do; the icy reiatsu was homing in on its owner.

The short nails scratched against the cold rime ice as the dainty hands curled into fists. Frigid chill that had always been aimed at anyone that stood in the way of the young tendo, freezing and mercilessly pulverising them, had gotten a firm grip of his entire body as Hyourinmaru soared through him. The iciness was far more than the usual comfortable coolness that resided in him as a symbol of his connection with his zanpaktou. A mix of malevolence and benevolence was what the dragon's flight was, for their enemy at this moment dwelt in none other than himself. He was the object of both the attack and the protection.

The glacial sheets wrapped themselves around the vessels. There were sturdy barricades barracked up, impenetrable for the maddened crimson river. The cannibalistic attacks were forced to an abrupt halt. Hyourinmaru's coarse and swift caresses chilled him to sub-zero, pulling stop on any and every process of living before the poison that had already entered the organs could inflict any more damage. All it took was a flash of a moment, even with its strength suppressed by its wielder.

However the tentative optimism did not last long. The toxin had already achieved its fair share of sabotage in the short span of a mere few seconds and with a violent jerk that had his face nearly smashing into the frosted floor, Hitsugaya coughed up a bout of thick blood that had escaped the dragon's sharp claws, spoiling the pristine display of his wintry power. In that blink of an eye that his concentration faltered, the rime ice thickened to opaqueness and instantly spread miles out, startling the nearby servants who reflexively scuttled away.

'Toushirou! Get a grip on it, now!'

Hitsugaya winced with a muffled groan at the tangy metal taste at the back of his throat. His hands seemed to have gone numb; he could no longer feel the familiar coldness of what should have covered the area around him with the release of Hyourinmaru. It was not just his hands. His entire body felt out of his reach, as if it was not his. He was only aware of the icy dragon spread out inside him to every corner and there was only one thing for him to focus on if he did not want to meet the end by his own power.

The lethality of the power of the mythical ruler was something Hitsugaya could not be more intimate with. The precise and fine balance of prohibition and liberation of the mighty dragon's force was the only reason that he was not encased in a mass of ice the minute Hyourinmaru was allowed to exert its offence power on him and a minute slip could mean a permanent stop in his heart's currently hysterical beating against the rebellious blood and the abrupt chill.

The last remnant wave of the pain from the abrupt cough died away and the brief dip in the torment allowed him to flex his fingers and a few moments to catch his irregular breathing. The stiffness in them led to a tense scowl on the whitish features. They might not have as long as they had first anticipated.

This was one hell of a mission with many odds stacked up against them and time was definitely one of it in more than one way. The mythical ruler was of water in its essence; the mixture of water and ice that composed of its materialised form proved that. While its prime sovereignty lied over the solid ice, Hyourinmaru had a certain level of governance over any that contained the wet element and that was what the wielder was betting on to save his, their lives. Nevertheless, the dragon's notorious ability to turn all into icicles meant some level of solidification was inevitable even for the captain and while it effectively shut down all the self-attack, the same chill gripped the entire system. Take too long and the glacial spell could push his body pass the point of return.

The iciness wrecked yet soothed his poisoned body. The crimson talons were frozen midway down the deep lacerations on his intestines, liver, lungs and heart but neither could he feel them being alive under the arctic shields. The last remaining numbness at the tip of his fingers receded away, giving way to the chill and with every inch now covered, Hitsugaya could feel his soul companion cautiously swimming through the slush-like arteries and veins.

Soon the wielder felt one of the weirdest sensations he had ever experienced as something was slowly filtered from within his partially frozen blood and travelled up his veins, signalling that his soul companion was now in full control of his every cell. Gradually, there came a relieving sensation of what little thrashing of the toxin that was left now disappearing, and the deadly toxin was now torn away from their rimed targets in an undefined globe, gathered from all around his body to his heart that had now started to slow down dangerously in the unrelenting grasp of the bitter frigidness.

A hoarse groan tore through the abused lips as a different type of pain squeezed his heart, tightness in his chest making it difficult to breathe. With the unearthly frostiness entirely enveloping him, hypothermia was setting in fast even for the wielder. Perhaps it was because he took as long as he assumed he could afford in order to become accustomed to the detailed finesse of the control required from him. Whatever the reason, a pair of invisible arms was clamping around him as if to expel the last ounce of air and suffocate his resigning heart with the crushing pressure. Starting to feel a little light-headed, the prodigy grimaced; they had to wrap up this semi-suicidal act soon or the consequence was going to be as threatening as the poison itself. It was at that moment that he heard exactly what he had been waiting for.

'We only have to get it out of you now, master. You are doing well, endure it just a little longer.'

'How…'

'Cut yourself. Through the blood vessel is the only way I can safely lead it out at present.'

Wordlessly, Hitsugaya gingerly brought his arm up to grab the physical manifestation of his soul companion on his back, scowling at how sluggishly and stiffly the limb obeyed his order. The zanpaktou had been giving off silvery chill even from within the thick sheath and the navy blue sheath promptly disappeared as the blade immediately brought down to slash across the slim wrist, the unforeseen action inducing gasps from the servants that had been watching him. However no blood gushed out from the deep cut that was sure to have damaged the radial artery, not even a single rivulet of crimson made an appearance.

"…Hi…Hitsugaya taichou…?"

The teal orbs had opened the moment the prodigy had moved for Hyourinmaru yet they looked strangely distant and showed no sign of having heard the cautious call; Hitsugaya was still in the world that he had created out of utter concentration.

He knew why the lack of spurting sprays of crimson; his blood was thick, near solid slush, still in its track everywhere in his body. All in all, his physiology was, systematically speaking, dead at this precise moment.

Another bout of pain pierced his heart, signalling the imminent danger, but Hitsugaya showed no sign of it except the involuntary twitch of his cold fingers. It was certain that the deadly encounter was coming to an end, and in his victory. Soon, the proof of that appeared in crystal clear droplets oozing out of the self-inflicted wound and the wary emerald eyes narrowed. How could such lethal poison be so transparent, so harmless-looking?

However it was not the time to linger on the question. Having received a confirmation from his zanpaktou that his body was now safe from the poison's deadly grasp, Hitsugaya used a simple kidou to roughly connect the lacerated tissue again and mentally thanked the dragon before it coiled away to his inner world, setting him free from the frigid spell. And for a while, there was only silence between the two as the tendo and the dragon waited for the signs of vitality to make their return, heavy anxiety churning with dread.

And when they did, the stoic captain could not help but sigh in relief, the exploding thumps of his heart threatening to crash through his ribcage. They had made it in time. Being the wielder of the strongest ice-snow zanpaktou did not transform his constituents suitable to be frozen inside out at will, especially not by the said zanpaktou's incredible power. Contrary to some very wild assumptions, Hitsugaya was simply -much- more tolerant of sub-zero temperature _outside_, around him due to the coolness dwelling inside but that was as far as it went.

'Arigato, Hyourinmaru.'

'Toushirou.'

'…?'

The dragon's rumbling voice was now much more composed with the urgency now gone but the worries still firmly held its place and Hyourinmaru had certifiable reasons. The prodigy had not escaped the poison completely unscathed just as that bloody cough had shown and once fully thawed back to normal, the captain was going to sense the after effects of his own stunt just now. Its stubborn master appeared unaware of it just yet but the dragon was already picking up the distress in the boy's forcibly exerted reiatsu and for shinigamis, spiritually ailing reiatsu was same as physical injuries, possibly worse, as it inevitably sent the afflicted one to the infirmary even without any bodily wounds.

'It is our luck that the poison was blood-based but you will have to rest properly after this, little one.'

With the main source of its power now withdrawn, the chill was making its retreat and with it came back the surroundings that his concentration had removed his conscience from. There was a splash of red on the frosted floor and the sounds of countless feet running around thrummed his eardrums along with hacking, gargling coughs. Knitting his eyebrows, Hitsugaya willed his heart to return to normal rhythm from its weedy, erratic beating, his blood to melt and return to its course, though it was easier said than done. The soft ripples gently stirring his soul from the core echoed the dragon's concerns and the wielder replied with a wave of gratitude and reassurance, disregarding how rigid he felt.

There was no telling as to how long his conscience had been away from the urgent turmoil but the prodigy did not waste any time in figuring it out, for he knew something much more crucial required his attention. Stabbing his zanpaktou into the rime-covered floor, Hitsugaya pushed himself upright onto his feet, his eyes already searching for Unohana, only to have the hall wildly spinning in front of his eyes, his vision swirling into nothing more than a churning of colours. He could feel himself heading for a flat fall as he reflexively shut his eyes, abrupt weariness sweeping him off his feet.

Yet the anticipated crash did not come. Rather, on thecontrary, something soft and warm had cushioned his throbbing head before it met the unforgiving floor, and after a second to recover his orientation, Hitsugaya realised that someone with familiarly huge breasts had caught him from behind, his head landing exactly in between the round fleshes, much to his chagrin.

"Taichou!!"

The perturbed, high-pitched voice shook his frayed mind and with an unnoticeable cringe, Hitsugaya cracked his eyes open and turned around as he regained his foothold. Everything was still a little hazy but he saw what he needed to see. Strawberry-blonde, distinctively pink, a pair of silvers and massive breasts. It could be only one person.

"…Matsumoto?"

"What's going on? A servant literally crashed in but she couldn't tell us much!"

Hitsugaya did not answer but quickly looked around the room that was unexpectedly empty, unaware of Matsumoto's hand that still did not leave his shoulders. The fourth division captain was found a few seats up from him, coughing up horribly blackened blood in the arms of her vice-captain. Then he found why the other captains were unseen in the room. Next to Unohana, taking up the whole corner of the hall was Minatzuki.

Having finally realised his vice-captain's concerned support, Hitsugaya placed his hand on hers just a little longer than necessary in a rare show of appreciation before sliding it off him and called for the fourth and the 12th vice-captains as he walked up to Unohana, his steps imperceptibly faltering once in a while as his body fought against the last remnants of frost and the residual effects of the poison. Nobody noticed the scowl worsening by a touch when his knees almost buckled once more as sharp pain ran down his legs.

"Kotetsu, Kurotshuchi!"

"Hai!"

"Collect that", Hitsugaya pointed to the small puddle of clear liquid on the floor that had left his body just a few seconds ago, "and find the antidote for it as soon as possible. All taichous have been poisoned."

Everyone looked at him in shocked disbelief save Nemu who was already scooping up the liquid into a small bottle, her expressionless face remaining so as usual. On the other hand, Isane was obviously torn between the order and her sick captain and Hitsugaya barked as he knelt down on one knee next to the healer. Time was of essence and a single second could decide life and death for his fellow captains if his own experience was anything to go by.

"Now!"

"Ha… Hai!"

"Matsumoto, call the fourth. When you come back, secure the area."

"Hai, taichou!"

The three immediately ran out of the hall and Hitsugaya turned his eyes to Unohana, noting the ghostly whiteness of her contorted face.

'Hyourinmaru.'

'…It is not impossible but it would put great strain on you as well as the other one.'

'But she would live.'

'Perhaps.'

'Hyourinmaru.'

The captain swore he heard a sigh from the dragon.

'…Yes. Most likely. If you have enough energy and focus. Toushirou, let them bring the antidote. The medics would soon be arriving too. Repeating this feat 12 times is impossible in your current state.'

'I won't have to but that's only if we have Unohana taichou back in commission. She is the only one that can keep them alive until then and she cannot do it the way she is now. With Minatzuki released… the reiatsu is killing her faster than anyone in Minatzuki.'

There was no response from the dragon and Hitsugaya knew that as much unhappy and reluctant as his soul companion was, Hyourinmaru agreed. For all the genius he was, Hitsugaya did not possess the required level of medical knowledge and he could safely say from his brief yet intense experience that the toxin was made to be absolutely fatal. Knowing the answer already, the captain pressed on once more.

'We cannot wait, not at least for Unohana taichou.'

With a determined look, Hitsugaya gently grasped Unohana's arm to bring her attention to him. The blurry black eyes looked at him, asking what the healer could not voice out in the effort of pushing herself, and with a flitting glance at the long blade of Hyourinmaru still clutched in his hand, Hitsugaya answered the silent question.

"Unohana taichou, I am going to remove the poison from you but I need you to focus on letting my reiatsu in. This needs to be done in the shortest time possible so please, do not retaliate against it."

A firm nod was her reply even though she did not know of the risk involved in the process, her trust in his ability clear in that single action. However, she did not seal her zanpaktou back and when Hitsugaya looked at her again, there was a shake of the head with the air of finality. The prodigy did not waste any time in attempting to persuade her either. The time was ticking.

The returned tension had his mind instantly clearing like a veil of fogs lifting and Hitsugaya waited until the last wave of the lingering aftereffects had passed before placing the sharp tip of Hyourinmaru above the healer's wrist. Taking in a deep breath to prepare for another intense session of focus, the prodigy looked at the healer and murmured quietly. To set Hyourinmaru free within another's body under his control, there was no other way but for his zanpaktou to make a direct contact with its target.

"I apologise for this."

And with that, the blade plunged into the wrist, much to the horror of the remaining vice-captains and servants. However in a second, another circle of thin frost was forming around the two captains and the temperature that had just gained a few degrees was fast plummeting again.

Thanksfully, Unohana seemed to have enough of conscience left to focus on locking down her reiatsu and Hitsugaya could feel the glacial reiatsu of his and the dragon. Almost immediately, they were ready to display their newly tested ability.

At that moment, Matsumoto came running back with the shinigamis of the fourth division at her tow then stopped dead when she saw her captain next to Unohana with his zanpaktou undoubtedly through her wrist.

However before anyone could mutter a sound of shock or confusion, her captain was back on move, pulling Hyourinmaru out of the healer's limb and everyone was astonished when only clear fluid leaked out of the gaping wound.

"Everything should melt again soon. How do you feel?"

"Definitely much better. Arigato."

Unohana decided she was not going to complain about the unrealistic coldness she remained under. It was nothing compared to the pain that had coursed through her veins just moments ago and now her life was intact.

Hitsugaya remained knelt down next to the healer as she healed her injury he had inflicted, unnoticeably tightening his grip on the hilt of his zanpaktou in effort to hide the heaviness that seemed to drag his body down. The truth was, he had doubled the speed as he recognised that others were not familiar with the iciness as him. It had meant severe pressure on him but with the medical division here, Unohana would soon be taking over the crisis. Kotetsu and Kurotshuchi must be nearing finding the antidote too. Glancing at Minatzuki behind him, the prodigy let himself feel the first wave of relief since the chaos broke loose.

Healing her gashed wrist professionally, she looked at the young captain in front of her in a mild awe, taking his wrist to have a look once she was finished. The deep cut he had inflicted on himself was mended just enough to stop any bleeding and Unohana quickly finished off the job, the muscles and the skin healed back to their original, flawless condition. She found that using her reiatsu was still more difficult than usual but she was now free of bloody coughs and her organs were slowly returning to normality from the poison-induced pandemonium.

"It is only a last resort. Hyourinmaru is fundamentally water but its nature and power makes it strenuous to control it for such purpose. The hypothermia only ups the danger. Normally, I would not have put you under the risks but..."

With a gentle smile returning to her still pale face, Unohana finished off the sentence.

"…I was the only medic. I understand."

"I have sent Kotetsu and Kurotshuchi for the antidote. They should be back soon."

Unohana could see why the tendo was waiting for the medicinal cure for the others. Having been under the effect of Hyourinmaru personally, she knew what a fine line it was that the arctic chill walked on, balanced precariously on the time and the hypothermia. With the lives of the captains on theline, she found it explicable that Hitsugaya would be reluctant to repeat the procedures unless absolutely necessary.

And more importantly, now that she was safe from the grim clutches of the death, it was her responsibility to care for the ailing ones. She looked around her, slowly standing up with the help of two of her subordinates. The white-haired shinigami simply stepped aside, noticing the change of air around the healer. Words were seldom needed between the captains when one was about to take on his or her duty.

"Minatzuki."

The giant creature tensed up for a moment before pouring out all the captains it had swallowed and Hitsugaya and Unohana both had trouble covering their grimaces when they saw the sticky, transparent saliva of Minatzuki mingled with what could have been easily mistaken as spilt ink rather than blood. There were collective surprised calls as every vice-captain ran to their respective captains and the fourth division shinigamis were already setting out the shields around each of them.

Leaving the rest in capable hands, Hitsugaya calmed a sudden nausea that had lurched his stomach. A scowl pulling down the ends of his pale lips, the small captain swallowed thickly, only to have the bitter taste of bile eliciting another gag reflex. He took a deep breath in. His vision was a little blurry but it was nothing that a few blinks could not clear away.

"Taichou, are you okay?"

"Mm."

The silvery eyes travelled down the short captain from the head, frowning when they caught asmear of blood on the turquoise kimono. At least it was better than the healer's. Unohana's pale-green one had most of its front soaked in tainted blood.

Hitsugaya was aware of the concerned gaze but showed no sign of it. Instead, the turquoise orbs simply fixed themselves on a group of medics huddled around Kyouraku opposite of him, his mind not quite falling into the fatigue yet from the adrenaline.

Who was it that wanted the deaths of all thirteen captains? Was this the work of the killer they had been after? But why poison then?

One question was only followed by the other and he shook his heavy head. They would have to wait until later when there was less of adesperate urgency in the air, the bloody scent of Death dissipated and the wheezy sounds of gurgling coughs vanished.

"Have you secured the area?"

"Hai. No one is to enter or leave without reporting and some of our men are guarding the area. I've also sent a hell butterfly to Onmitsukidou just in case."

A loud shout interrupted Matsumoto then. The blonde Third Seat was organising the subordinates in place of Unohana who had a nervous looking medic checking her pulse. Standing aside as not to get in the way of the shinigamis dashing around, Hitsugaya thought back to the traditional ozoni that had led to this mayhem, the eyebrows drawing tightly as throbbing migraine suddenly took hold of his head.

However before he could marvel on it for any longer than a second, a terrible coughing fit snapped the tendo out of his thoughts and when he turned to the origin of the horrible gargling sounds, he was shocked to find Ukitake bringing up anunhealthy amount of jet-black blood, the twisted face far too ashen and his every body language screaming of unbearable pain as Kuchiki Rukia held his shoulders down so that the medics could continue treating him. The petite girl looked close to tears as her blue eyes darted between her captain, her step-brother and her childhood friend. Hitsugaya cursed under his breath. When was the antidote going to arrive?

"Unohana taichou!!"

The pressing call alerted of Kotetsu Isane shunpoing into the room but instead of the relief that Hitsugaya thought he would be met with on her return, he could feel blood draining from his already whitish face. The distress on Kotetsu's face spoke of volume and most of all, she was empty-handed. And her words were enough to silence the large hall in a second like fire doused with cold water.

"Unohana taichou, we have a problem! Kurotsuchi fukutaichou cannot determine what poison it is, it's something we have never seen before!"


	20. Realisation

**Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos [#19/?]**  
**Chapter rating**: PG  
**Chapter specific warning**: None  
**Chapter specific spoiler**: Anime Episode 100 regarding Soi Fon and the use of Suzumebachi

**Chapter summary**: The crisis that had befallen upon the festive dinner is frozen and Ichigo dashes to Soul Society.

**Author's Note: **

MINNA-SAN, KANON IS BACK!!! XDD PLEASE WELCOME ME BACK WITH A WARM ROUND OF… REVIEWS!!

Yup, I'm not dead, still alive and kicking (unfortunately?!), _Orderly Madness_ along with it. I apologise for insanely long hiatus; I ended up having a long break from actually writing it so my return was unavoidably delayed.

While I'm sorry for the forever waiting, I have to say that it had done me some good to take a breather from the marathon-running I've been doing since Empathy. After returning to my study after a year out, getting infatuated with Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, getting myself into the fansub world, neglecting Hitsugaya over Hibari with much guilt, I've come back to _Orderly Madness_.

The life back at the uni is absolute MADNESS and it had been at the price of my precious sleep that I continued to indulge myself in this sweet obsession while I shrivel to a dried mummy. …That's my excuse anyway. *shot*

Anyway, many gratitude and luff to everyone who sent me encouragements and feedbacks regarding my last notice. *showers cookies* The final decision has been made based on the votes and it is, DUN DUN DUN, sporadic updates! *bricked* So, expect to hear from me at random occasions.

On the other hand, I've in fact gone mental enough to sign up for NaNoWriMo and therefore my entire November will be spent on it. If you click here, you'll land on my writing community where it will be random bits and pieces from the fiction I'm writing for it; you might be glad to hear that it's **another IchiHitsu one to go with Empathy. It's about the time we did not get to see between _Empathy_ and _Orderly Madness_** :D I am hoping to post them much later but for now, I need to write 50,000 words before 30th Nov so it's just a mess of words.

Now, just a sidenote. I don't know if it has anything to do with the break I had but **I've decided to introduce Shirosaki into the story** (not here but soon) but he's not going to a strawberry-ass-kicking badboy he is in the canon (or at least not as bad as that anyway) because in this universe, Ichigo does have him under complete control. _Shirosaki's entrance was going to happen anyway_ but I've brought his first appearance earlier than I had planned and given him a slightly bigger role as Ichigo's not-so-friendly-but-friendly annoying sadistic companion when it permits. How often he will appear, even I haven't got a clue at the moment. *shot*

And now, after all that rambling, let the curtain rise again and-

HAJIME!

PS. I've hit **300 marks** for reviews, not counting your replies to my notice! Thank you very much for your support and love!

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**:::::Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos by Kanon Ch.19:::::** **_Realisation_**  


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"Unohana taichou, we have a problem! Kurotsuchi fukutaichou cannot determine what poison it is, it's a type we've never seen before!"

Not even the thunderous coughs from the poisoned captains could disturb the thickness that engulfed the blood-scented atmosphere. The intense stench of death suddenly thickening in the doomed silence made the shinigamis present in the hall choke on what little air they had taken in a gasp, the saucer-sized eyes filled with stunned incredulity and instinctive refusal to believe that this was happening. For all the talented personnel the 12th division was filled with, there was now no way the antidote would be in their hands before too late.

Instantly, almost out of reflex, Unohana snapped round to the only other captain standing to find that the said shinigami had taken a place nearer to the wall on the other side. She easily found the frosty teal eyes, astonishingly calm and undeterred for his age and their circumstances; they were already locked on her in all seriousness. There was an invisible spark as the two gazes clashed in mid-air and the prodigy was on the move at once, nodding as he swiftly crossed the room towards Ukitake whose consciousness swayed in a limbo; it was the poison that had pushed the thirteenth division captain to the abyss yet it was the agony of it that did not allow him to simply rest in the darkness. The braided healer averted her eyes in helpless resignation, hidden by the calm exterior. Much to her dismay, nothing within her division's renowned healing abilities had been able to fully counteract the toxin that was robbing the captains of their desperate wheezes but the medics had given all they had relentlessly, believing the antidote would soon arrive to end this unexpected calamity.

However, as fate would have it, the burden of the lives of the eleven captains, its weight unfathomable, was to befall on the exceptional but young genius, praised to be the reincarnation of the heavenly guardian, that had only just escaped the near certain death himself.

The understanding had the fourth division captain halting for a second in her last, time-pressed instructions to stabilise Ukitake's condition as much as possible. Hitsugaya was already only a step away from her and it was only then that something about him caught her eyes.

The stiff face was alittle paler than usual and the professionally trained eyes did not miss the indiscernible falters in the agile captain's usually adroit and precise movements. Then just as she watched her subordinates stepping away for Hitsugaya, a realisation struck her hard and Unohana could only blink, the distressed anxiety inside her growing with every wet cough that echoed shrilly around the hall, ringing in different pitches and mingled with laboured groans. In the commotion of focusing on those still in critical danger, no one, not even she, had remembered to check the tenth division captain.

Hitsugaya was, she belatedly realised, not as well-recovered as she had previously thought.

"...Hitusga…"

It was not a vocal reply that cut her short in the middle of the call but a simple look from the cool emerald eyes, a wordless yet candidly unyielding glance over his shoulder that threw her into astunned silence. The knowing acknowledgement of the urgency of the situation and the sheer resolve, somewhat inapt for his relatively short lifetime but entirely befitting the rank the boy held at the said age, were enough to make her swallow the words, though what she had been about to say, she did not know. Most of the times she had come across Hitsugaya was in the dreary meetings and there was not much else that she had seen from the youngest captain apart from impassiveness and perhaps a hint of annoyed boredom. More likely that the fire of perseverance presently roaring in the glacial globes was what Hitsugaya's enemies were more familiar with. Even in her centuries-long captaincy, only for a handful of times had Unohana been struck speechless by the pure force in a mere gaze.

His face set in an unreadable mask, Hitsugaya shifted his eyes to the raven-haired girl who had her captain's jerking head resting on her laps as she held him down at the shoulders to ground the lurching body. The tormented cobalt orbs were brimming with tears that she was evidently refusing to let flow down as the desperate gaze flickered between her Rukongai, noble and division family steadily stepping closer to eternal departure.

_We are not going to lose anyone tonight_, Hitsugaya told himself decisively, turning to his self-appointed-step-father. It was as simple as that. They were _not_ losing anyone tonight.

'Toushiro.'

The small hand that had been reaching for Ukitake's arm stopped in midair in response to the call that came not from the outside, but from his inner world, and Hitsugaya frowned ever so slightly, his eyes rooted on the 13th division captain. Countless streams of red trailed down either side of the man's mouth, leading to a thick puddle on the floor, and the long white tresses were losing their purity to the tainted fluid.

'Little one, you are in no condition to go through it 11 times.'

'We were the last resort, Hyourinmaru. And now, we _are_ the only chance they have.'

Hitsugaya nearly smiled at the disgruntled rumble resonating within him; despite the sound, he knew Hyourinmaru would not deny of his wish.

'We are going to make it possible but I cannot do it alone, Hyourinmaru.'

'…You are my master.'

The unwillingness and discontent were clear in the growling voice even as the legendary creature's wings spread out imposingly again, the familiar gust of wind mixed with piercing shards of arctic ice rushing through his inner world. This time, Hitsugaya did let the barest of smiles touch his stiffened face, the tiny twitch indiscernible. Hyourinmaru would not have let others die on them; the dragon was just too protective of its wielder not to say anything, always putting his sake before anyone else's.

"Hitsugaya taichou…"

Rukia swallowed thickly, trying her best not to be swept away by the gut-wrenching fear knotting in her stomach. When Hitsugaya, the last of their hope, lifted his head and looked at her, she felt an inexplicable wave of composure dousing her frizzled mind. The teal eyes were illuminated with unwavering willpower and there was not a falter in the direct gaze for a single moment as he spoke.

"Hold yourself together. He'll be fine."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

A small, somewhat weary sigh signalled the swift withdrawal of Hyourinmaru and all the shinigamis blinked owlishly at the tenth division captain. Ukitake had fallen comatose a while ago, having at last fallen up under the arduous suffering, but his breathing was undoubtedly less strenuous and the feeble coughs had lost the distressing gurgling sounds.

The only sign Hitsugaya gave of the exertion was a barely noticeable wince which could have easily passed as his perpetual frown. The moment he stepped away, Hanatarou rushed in, quickly healing the gashed wrist, and when he scanned the unconscious captain, he could not help but gasp in astonishment at the feedback.

The 13th division captain's entire system was at an almost complete standstill, the beating of the heart threateningly slow, the echoes only just detectable. However with the right treatment from now on, the fourth division's regular patient would surely survive another close brush with death in the end.

Hanatarou turned around with a shaky smile, his hands already glowing with yellow light over Ukitake. A relieved smile lit up the anxious faces of many and Unohana instantly called for her vice-captain, hidden relief washing through her. From the moment Kotetsu had returned with the unexpected announcement, the lethal crisis had become something out of her capability, her medical responsibility passed onto Hitsugaya out of necessity. However they still had just as important a job and the fourth division was not going to stand by idly.

"Kotetsu fukutaichou."

"Hai!"

"Transport Ukitake taichou to the relief station. His illness would have been undoubtedly worsened and it would start to take hold of him once his system is released from the chill. Third Seat Iemura, please go with Kotetsu fukutaichou. I will remain here with Seventh Seat Yamada."

There were echoes of the collective affirmations as the shinigamis promptly placed Ukitake's limp body on a stretcher and rushed out of the hall. Rukia followed them out of the room with her eyes until they disappeared from the view then crawled over to her brothers, noble and Rukongai alike. The healer turned towards Hitsugaya, wondering what exactly his condition was, but the said shinigami was already on his way to the Head Captain whose old age seemed to be aiding the toxin.

Hitsugaya tightly sealed his thinned lips, scowling when the splitting migraine returned, or rather, when his consciousness re-registered it. Ukitake had been far more difficult than Unohana; the sick man had been hardly awake from the beginning and his reiatsu had started to fluctuate out of control, instinctively pushing back the icy one that was attempting to intrude its ill owner's corrupted system. Forcing his way in ruthlessly had been out of option in fear of inciting further harm and it had taken a while ofcautious and precise prodding and weaving until Hyourinmaru could take control at last.

Straining to stop his hand reaching for his crushing head, Hitsugaya took a quick glance over his shoulder at where Ukitake had been lying. The usual, cloudy frost covered the polished floor, the far outside of it already melting. The pale face twisted into a grimace as he realised the rime ice had spread out further than it should have. Every time the afflicted captain had entered another tormenting fit of blood-splattered coughs, his chest dramatically heaving as if to explode, his concentration had unavoidably wavered before he knew it and too many times had his tighter than possible control almost slipped out of his grasp. All he could hope was that he himself had not caused as much damage as the poison itself.

The turquoise orbs glistened in surreal shimmer from the strained exertion of reiatsu as they surveyed the room, the frown disappearing from the whitish features and leaving it strikingly blank of any readable emotions; one down, ten to go. He made sure no partof him gave away the grimness he felt inside. Suddenly, he found himself with the lives of all captains of Gotei 13 on his shoulders and that was certainly no light weight. Getting down on one knee next to the Head captain, he briefly locked his gaze with Unohana.

"Unohana taichou, I cannot work on them all at the same time. Please do whatever you can to keep everyone alive."

The fourth division captain nodded then she quietly whispered to her Seventh Seat who had been tending Kyouraku as she took over his place.

"Seventh Seat Yamada, please keep an eye on Hitsugaya taichou. I doubt he will let you intervene regardless of his own condition so remember any signs you see. We will need to deal with them afterwards straight away. I leave the task to you as I need to tend taichous."

"Hai, taichou."

The corner of her eyes caught Yamada's navy blue hair moving out and Unohana cast one last glance at Hitsugaya for a flitting moment before regrouping her subordinates, moving from one patient to another. Various orders were issued for each of them and were promptly followed, many pairs of hands busily but methodically moving over the ailing shinigamis. Even if she was concerned about his state, the young prodigy was their only promise of survival and the least she could do was lessening the mighty pressure on him by prolonging the other's lives as long as he needed.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The atmosphere in the meeting hall was palpably different from when the catastrophe had first struck the celebration. The tension was still dense in the air along with the sickening smell of raw blood but a bud of hope was shyly making its way through along with victorious calmness as Abarai Renji was carried out to the infirmary. That made him the seventh captain to leave the room alive, the score for lost victims remaining firmly at zero. Now, only four more remained and the sure approach of a winning end made the medics move their hands that much faster and pour that much more reiatsu.

"This is bloody weird. Man, I should fight you with that zan…"

"Shut up, Zaraki."

Zaraki only flashed a feral snicker with a bloodthirsty look at the blade that currently pierced his wrist but the display of untamed joy swiftly vanished at the knife-sharp glare from the emerald eyes. _He's only a midget but that look is as good as the old man's_, he thought and would have shrugged if he could.

Just a step away from the two captains stood Matsumoto and Hanatarou, both of them fixedly watching the white-haired captain. The Seventh Seat timidly glanced at the vice-captain next to him then to Unohana who was setting up a new, more complicated shield around Soi Fon. The poised black eyes caught his then glided across to the tendo and the braided shinigami clamped down her lips so the subordinates would not hear the resigned sigh.

The increasing fatigue and the taxing stress were starting to show their own small hints on the typically inexpressive shinigami who spent just a second longer on the floor, discreetly leaning on Hyourinmaru, before standing back up. In fact, 'standing up' was perhaps not the most correct description because the sharp tip of the chilled zanpaktou had left a significant indentation on the floor; it was the only visible sign of Hitsugaya's concealed need of leverage. The chest rose and fell rapidly as the tired body demanded for more and more oxygen and the deadpan visage gleamed with heavy perspiration under the bright light, the white bang plastered on the face that had gained a disturbing tinge of pallid grey at some point.

Even if Hitsugaya had taken the least damage from the poison, Unohana knew he would be out of commission for some time just like everyone else.

However the time was growing even more critical. The instructions from the fourth division captain were progressively more and more urgent and complex, the language something that only medics could understand since long, and from the looks of it, the prodigy was also in increasingly challenging fights against the poison as it gained a firmer grip on its victims by every second.

"…Done. Move Kuchiki taichou to…!"

"Taichou!!"

A string of muffled curses flew out of the ashen lips as Hitsugaya instantaneously stabbed Hyourinmaru onto the frost-covered ground to prevent himself sprawling out on it. Apparently, the aching muscles decided to stop begging him for rest and take their own action. A pair of hands that he somehow just knew was Matsumoto's were on his hunched shoulders as he gulped in the frigid air. Its iciness was welcoming, fresh in his drained lungs and cleared the blurry fog out of his vision.

'Toushiro, you have to stop at least for a bit.'

However the heeding plead from the concerned dragon fell on deaf ear as Hitsugaya returned to his feet persistently with a swallowed grunt, Matsumoto's hands sliding off the tense shoulders from the movement. His breathing was ragged and erratic, his limbs heavy as if they were each burdened with a ton-heavy weight at wrists and ankles. It did not surprise either the zanpaktou or the wielder though; what they were constantly repeating was already a difficult enough task on its own yet Hitsugaya had been constantly pushing the speed of the elimination despite Hyourinmaru's assurance that one or two seconds more would not cause any more harm than already done. Nothing the anxious spirit said was enough to dissuade the iron-hard resolution that carried its master to the next victim incessantly. With the remaining captains' conditions deteriorating at analarming rate, the hypothermia kicked in earlier and earlier every time and Hitsugaya was not going to take any risks.

If anything comforted the worn-out shinigami, the good news was that there were now only two left; Soi Fon and Kurotshuchi. The bad news was that the poison seemed to have now reached its last stage before the climax even with Unohana's personal expert care.

Matsumoto bit her lips in a crestfallen look, staring at the back of her captain who had just thrust the long blade into Kurotshuchi's eerily white wrist. It was obvious that Hitsugaya was losing his suppression over the mythical ruler, much to her dread in many senses. The telltale frost was now carpeting more grounds at faster speed and the unearthly chill emanating from Hyourinmaru was shockingly clear even in the cold air.

Nevertheless it seemed that the boy genius was somehow managing to keep the powerful freeze restrained enough, most likely through sheer willpower that rivalled his obstinacy, and the medics gradually slowed down their frantic treatments on Kurotshuchi, their stares full of wonder. Kurotshuchi's vital was still precariously low but it was at last starting to lose its shooting and diving fluctuation as his numerously modified body rapidly lost what little warmth it had.

A moment later, the second last victim of the attempted poisoning was carted off to the fourth division with the last team of the medics. Now, all that remained in the crimson-spoilt hall were Matsumoto, Unohana, Yamada, a couple more of the medics, Soi Fon and Hitsugaya.

Unohana frowned ever so slightly as she shifted her gaze from Soi Fon to Hitsugaya uncomfortably. The petite Chinese had been holding out astonishingly well, thanks to her guard training, and Suzumebachi had also provided her a room for amuch needed breather. Nevertheless the inky poison of the golden hornet had not been enough to fully counteract whatever mysterious toxin it was and the indiscriminating, brutal attack was eating her away to the dangerous brink.

Nevertheless, she could not urge Hitsugaya who was yet to stand back up, the white-spiked head lowered so that no one could see his face, though the violent ups and downs of the small shoulders were a sure sign of what was going on.

Hitsugaya shook his head slightly in a scowl, trying to drive away the maddening throbs at his temples as his pulses pounded away. His chest tightened with a harsh squeeze that made the white eyebrows furrow so deeply that they almost met each other on the creased forehead. Taking in a laborious breath, he forced the ribcages away, the crushing pressure chased out with the fresh, greedy intake of oxygen. The damp kimono clung to his skin thickly, soaked with sweat, and both the master and the zanpaktou were aware that it was only through utter determination that they had got through the 12th division captain. And now, if they were not to have a slip-up now, a few seconds to put the weakened focus back in shape was a necessity before the last captain.

'Little one, you are pushing yourself unnecessarily too far.'

'Only one remains, Hyourinmaru.'

'I cannot stop you from saving your nakamas but promise me that you will rest after this.'

The white-crowned head shook again but this time, more out of exasperation, with an odd expression on his face; a minute tug upcurled the lips but the eyebrows knitted, earning himself several confused looks. Unaware of the unsettled glances, Hitsugaya peeled himself away from the floor against his wish to spread eagle on the sheet of frost and dragged his heavy feet across to Soi Fon.

'I'll try.'

There was no mistake in the irritated sigh from the wise, protective soul companion, accompanied with a displeased grunt. However Hyourinmaru did not press the matter any further because its intimate link with its little master was disclosing Hitsugaya's own admittance of his condition. With the unbreakable stubbornness came the exceptional mind and there were occasions, once in a blue moon, that the immovable captain in fact accepted that nothing productive would come out in the end should he insist. The legendary creature could only hope this would be one of those handful times that were too few and far between. Then suddenly, a wave of uneasiness reached him through the connection and Hyourinmaru soon found out the reason, the one thing that had been nagging the boy's weary mind more and more with each captain saved.

'Hyourinmaru… Don't we know this reiatsu?'

'…Perhaps. I do sense familiarity. However we will have to rescue your last nakama _and_ take some rest before conjecturing.'

Hitsugaya did not miss the emphasis on '_and'_ and intentionally fixed his tone rather wry.

'Of course.'

Was that a scoff from the mythical, sombre ruler of the icy plain that he had just heard?

'I doubt you will have much choice in the matter.'

Hitsugaya fixed his grip on the blue hilt once more before bringing it straight down onto Soi Fon's wrist and called forth the last of his exhausted energy.

'We'll find out soon enough.'

'Then we shall begin.'

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Two pairs of eyes, one silver and one black, collided in the frigid air, both mirroring each other's fretfulness and concerns, as the temperature dove down for one last time. Unohana signalled Yamada to come to her side and when she looked at him, the Seventh Seat nodded, discreetly pointing at his own temples, followed by a general circle around his chest before closing and opening his hand which then moved to the right side of his abdomen, and lastly, his left calf. Having caught the broad meaning, the healer turned her gaze to the prodigy whose clothing had turned a shade darker than its original from the bucketful of sweat that had seeped into it.

"Matsumoto fukutaichou, please bring Hitsugaya taichou to the relief station afterwards, no matter what he says."

Matsumoto nodded, oblivious to her unconscious twisting of the long sleeves in her fists throughout the entire ordeal. Then, much to her relief, her captain was at last pulling the zanpaktou out from the Onmitsukidou commander and she immediately rushed to his side, completely missing the taut shock on his face, disbelief and bitterness mingled together in the dull emeralds. However before she could reach him, Hyourinmaru fell from the slack hold to the rime-coated floor with a piercing clang and she cried out in alarm as Hitsugaya swayed dangerously on his feet then crumpled down to his side, finally falling a victim to the overstraining.

"Taichou!!"

"Seventh Seat Yamada, let's return to the relief station. Matsumoto fukutaichou."

She did not need to be told twice. Matsumoto quickly pulled back her sleeves and picked up Hyourinmaru that had begun to lose its frostiness then put her arms under her unconscious captain's shoulders and knees. Her anxious face turned closer to panicked fright when the white-crowned head floppily rolled back and she hurriedly shifted her arms so that it safely rested against her bosom; it was far too disturbing for her, to say the least. The usually alert shinigami was completely unaware of her presence and of her action and while Matsumoto could not say she found it surprising, it had been less than seldom she had seen him in this state.

When they reached the fourth division, they were greeted with chaos unleashed to full as what seemed to be the entire division bustled about, trying to up the vitals of the latest arrivals and keep them very warmly heated. Matsumoto was delightfully surprised to see that Renji was already awake even if he looked very ashen. The redhead was wrapped in a thick blanket with his arm around Rukia, their gazes fixed on Byakuya who appeared to be yet to rouse from the comatose.

"Matsumoto fukutaichou, place Hitsugaya taichou on the bed next to Kuchiki taichou, please."

"Unohana taichou, is he just tired or…"

Unohana placed her hand over the cataleptic shinigami, her voice in a perfect suavity as usual in contrary to the trepidation in the vice-captain's.

"I believe so. Hitsugaya taichou mentioned the feat was quite demanding for him and thirteen times he had to repeat it immediately after getting poisoned himself. Seventh Seat Yamada will come to check his condition and we will know more then."

The healer's words were not all too reassuring and Matsumoto sighed as she looked down at her captain. Thanks to Hitsugaya, Gotei 13 could avoid any abrupt vacancies in the captains' posts but she could not help rolling her eyes at his rather reckless resolution. What was worse was that she knew what he would say if she tried to lecture him later on; a dismissive '_I'm fine, everyone else is fine, so there's no problem'_, probably swatting his hands at her and then firing questions about paperwork.

"Rangiku-san, what's happened to him?"

The voice was hoarse and croaky but Matsumoto recognised it nevertheless; Abarai Renji.

"He's drained but they are going to confirm there's nothing else."

The redhead nodded with a look of understanding.

"Yeah, I heard he saved all our asses. How did he do it anyway? That was some damn intense stuff back there. For a moment, I thought it really was the end, but now, all I feel like is as if I had a dip in a hell-frozen lake in the middle of a blizzard."

Matsumoto did not get thechance to answer the question -she did not know the answer anyway- as Hanatarou arrived and the two stepped aside, Renji throwing a casual greeting which was returned with a shy smile. The warm glowing of yellow reiatsu took its time in examining the unconscious captain from head to toe then the Seventh Seat looked up with relief.

"It's just overtiredness. The poison's done some damage here and there but they are nothing too serious that I cannot heal right now. He will just need to recover his strength afterwards."

The vice-captain let out a breath that she had not realised she had been holding back and the redhead patted her shoulder. Matsumoto might not like her own administration office much but she cared about the irritable prodigy to a great deal, remaining adamant that Hitsugaya was the most understanding and nicest captain she had ever served. Apparently, no other shinigamis understood him like she did and she was probably right as well.

"Renji, do you mind watching over taichou for a minute? I'll be back ASAP."

The burgundy eyes blinked in surprise at the sudden request, shuddering a little when the last remnant of frosty chill like he had never known sent a shiver down his spine. The Rangiku he knew would never leave the young captain's side in situations like this. He took a quick glance over his shoulder at the bed where his ex-captain lied then nodded with a shrug. He was not going to be leaving here anytime soon anyway.

"Sure but what's so important that you are leaving Hitsugaya taichou on his own when he has just fainted?"

"Something important enough for me to leave my cute little taichou on his own when he has just fainted."

Leaving the perplexed man behind, Matsumoto rushed out of the relief station and headed to her division. With no serious injuries, Hitsugaya would probably wake up soon enough and insist on leaving the infirmary that he seemed to dislike rather a lot.

She would not worry so much -relatively speaking- if that was all but then the departure would so naturally lead to his arrival at the office. Nothing but the gravest injuries had achieved to keep the stubborn captain tied down to the required rest and she knew that mere tiredness did not really fit into the 'serious' category in Hitsugaya's mind. Of course, she was not going to let that happen, not if she could help it.

Having said that, Matsumoto was also aware that she did not have what it would take to stop her captain, hence the mad dash into the corridor where the hell butterflies were fluttering around in the walled-cages. Luckily for her, she also knew the one person that could and would succeed in the task, just as insistent as the temperamental dragon.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

An orange and black blur shot through the cold winter evening, fast enough to create gusty whirlwinds in its tail. It jumped onto the roofs and the walls at a speed no normal eyes could follow and only seemed to grow quicker with each step.

Ichigo bit his lower lip as he constantly pushed himself one step closer to Urahara shoten, his hands tightly clenched into his fists. A stray cat that had been strolling along the alley shrieked and darted away at the turbulent disturbance of air he left behind but he was already not there to hear the angry hiss.

The sudden crisis that had befallen upon the Kurosaki clinic had finally ended with most of the patients now transferred to a bigger hospital and with an all too late phone call to Karin to explain their absence, Ichigo and Yuzu had been released from the extended hours when it was already well into the evening.

Tired and weary from the hectic hours, Ichigo had decided to deliver his letter to the shop after recharging himself with the take-away they had ordered for late dinner and had just been marvelling on whether he should go ahead with the revelation tomorrow despite Karin's absence when the buzz of his mobile startled him, the caller-ID unexpected; geta-boshi.

Oh and how much he hated that sly, secretive bastard right now.

-x-

_"Moshi moshi."_

_-Kurosaki-san, it's Urahara. Could you come over, please? I have an urgent message from Matsumoto fukutaichou.-_

_"Rangiku-san?" Ichigo tilted his head in confusion then abruptly sat up on his bed in alarm. "Wait, what do you mean 'urgent'?"_

_-I will explain when you arrive.-_

_He felt restless apprehension abruptly gripping his entire body like a vice and shouted into the phone as he scrambled to get up. "What's going on?!"_

_-I'll see you soon.-_

_"Wait, Urahara-san!"_

-x-

In the end, he failed to hear any further explanation -the shopkeeper had already hung up- and without wasting a second, he had left his home, leaving behind a thoroughly confused and stunned mod soul in his body with the briefest instruction ever; '_I leave the rest to you!_'

The small shop came into his view in the distance and he put even more speed into his shunpo, if possible. Sudden sickening dread was like a devastating storm looming over him, ready to let loose its disasters, while Urahara's unusually serious voice continued to haunt him. _An urgent message_, he had said. There could be only one person Rangiku would contact him about so pressingly. The hasty shunpo was not the only reason that his heart was threatening to break through his ribcage.

Astoundingly, he found the blonde man waiting for him outside despite the freezing temperature and Ichigo nearly grabbed the pensive shopkeeper at his neck as soon as he skidded to a halt.

"Urahara-san! What's going on? What happened to Toushiro?!"

"I'll explain as we go down, please come in."

The former captain shut his fan and turned around, his voice without the usual teasing tone and while he usually preferred this lack of playfulness in the mischievous man, this time, it only unsettled the teen even more. As soon as Ichigo followed him in, he saw a hell butterfly fluttering around in the shoten. The moment he stepped in, it started to circle around his head, making him stop in his track and Urahara explained its fixation on him.

"It's from Matsumoto fukutaichou. They were holding New Year feast tonight but there was an attempted poisoning of the taichous."

The hazel irises widened and fell back onto Urahara, their gaze frozen in shock. Suddenly, the ring on his fourth finger felt even colder than usual, the lack of the warm pulse all the more prominent.

"…Poison?"

Urahara whipped open his fan again, quickly delivering the rest of the message. Ichigo had visibly stopped breathing, the leanly muscled body turning statue-like, and fortunately, the obvious distress on his face was one of unnecessary.

"Don't worry, Hitsugaya taichou has saved everyone by the means of Hyourinmaru. However the effort has worn him out badly and he is currently under the fourth division's care, unconscious. The hell butterfly has been waiting to guide you to the place."

"So Toushiro is okay?"

The question was quiet, the shaky tone barely hidden in the volume, and the shopkeeper nodded.

"The message was very short, Kurosaki-san, but yes, I think so. Senkaimon is ready for you."

The confirmation finally snapped the teen out of his shock as he suddenly gasped at the painful signals from his lungs. _Toushiro is alright_, he blankly repeated to himself, then again and again until it set in through the numbness his mind was shrouded with. His baby dragon was alright. Then it came out in outspoken words.

"Toushiro is alright."

Urahara did not say anything, knowing that its aim was not to garner verification from him. Giving up an unsteady laugh, Ichigo finally spared a glance at the midnight butterfly that had fluttered down onto his shoulder and with a small smile, the ex-captain inclined his head towards the open door that led to the basement at which his star student nodded and followed him down.

However Ichigo was still far from being flooded with the waves of relief. Apparently Urahara's words alone were not enough to set his mind at rest even if he trusted the man to be telling the truth. He knew that he was going to have to see his boyfriend with his own eyes, look into those cold teal orbs himself and feel the soft lips on his, and nothing but that was going to erase all doubts and worries out of his mind.

"Thanks, Urahara-san."

"No problem. I hope Hitsugaya taichou doesn't give you too much grief."

Ichigo paused only for a second before a barely discernible snicker flitted across his face, jumping into the pitch-black space of dangai.

"Knowing him, he probably would."


	21. Exposed

**Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos [#20/?]**  
**Chapter rating**: PG  
**Chapter specific warning**: None  
**Chapter specific spoiler**: None

**Chapter summary**: Hitsugaya wakes up to the bitter reality.

**Warning**: Do you see ByaxRen? You might or might not.

**Author's Note:**

I did say in the last scene I posted to expect an update soon +_+ Here it is. Finally, chapter 20. Everyone who welcomed me back and sent me your reviews, thank you very very much XD It was lovely to hear from you again.

I also won NaNoWriMo while I was away. Whoot! Although… now I'm paying heavy price for the time I spent on the damn thing. orz

Well, without further ado… please enjoy and I'd love you even more if you told me what you thought of it. *self-pimping*

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**:::::Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos by Kanon Ch.20:::::** _**Exposed**_  


* * *

  
Renji fixed his grip on the cosy blanket around him, shifting slightly in the wooden chair. The room he was in was actually not his but it did not matter. The fourth division was happy to let both Byakuya and Renji do as they wish within the small distance between their neighbouring rooms. And more importantly, they had a very distressed princess on their hands with the stoic noble looking subtly but surely lost as to how to console his step-sister.

"Rukia, stop crying. We are not dead, you know."

The wet blue orbs shot daggers at the redhead who instantly regretted his exasperated tone when he should have been regretting his choice of words. Renji scratched the back of his head sheepishly when he caught the delicate glare from the Kuchiki leader, silently rebuking him for the crudeness.

Byakuya had taken longer than anticipated to wake up which had led to another detailed examination but fortunately, the result had come back relatively clean, their circumstances granted. Rukia had been at her wits end with Ukitake in the intensive care, Byakuya unconscious and Renji still as white as a perfectly bleached sheet, the tension holding her taut. However, once both of her brothers had been given the eagerly-awaited clear by the medics and were transferred to a private ward for each, it seemed the sudden relief broke what little control she had barely kept herself by and the petite girl had startled them by starting to shed tears without a warning, furiously wiping them away as she continued to mumble apologies in a shaking voice.

"Rukia."

"I… I apologise for this, nii-sama. I…"

"Rukia."

"…Ha…hai, nii-sama."

There was a short pause as Rukia clenched her shihakushou in an effort to stop the ungracious sniffing which the dignified noble must consider unsuitable for one who bears the name of Kuchiki.

"…The title of the Kuchiki head will only be considered for succession once you have shown significant achievement in purging the manor of the SWA."

A stunned silence filled the air as both Rukia and Renji blinked at the raven-haired shinigami with wide eyes. Even Rukia's tears seemed to have come to a full stop in a flash. Then Renji broke out into a half-nervous, half-amused laughter, while the girl abruptly began issuing squeaky hiccups, making the sixth division captain raise his fine eyebrow.

"Hic! I… I'm sorry, nii-sama… Sudden… Hic!"

"That's what happens when you laugh in the middle of crying, you dork."

"Renji, shut.. hic! Up!! I wasn't.. Hic!"

"Yeah, whatever, Rukia."

Then the snicker turned into a jaw-dropping yawn and the redhead rubbed his eyes with another smaller one following almost immediately, even before his mouth had had chance to close. With the warm heat trapped in the snug blanket coupled with the strain his body had been subjected to, Renji felt like he had been on night duty for a fortnight straight with not a wink of sleep. Now that Rukia's sniffing has been instantly shushed, perhaps it was safe for him to leave for his own room and crawl into the bed that was no match for the lush one he had grown used to but nevertheless very much blissful for someone in his state.

"Sleep. I need sleep."

Rukia lightly smacked the top of the crimson mane at the bluntly put words with a smile. The scene that she had encountered at the grand hall had been more than terrifying and she was relieved beyond what words could describe that her lifelong friend, brother, and family was still here to glare at her with the familiar gruff voice vibrantly echoing in the otherwise quiet room while a pair of obsidian eyes watched them in the usual silence.

"Hey! Don't go off hitting patients!"

She ignored it all like the words had never been said.

"Nii-sama, is there anything you would like from the mansion?"

"I will send a message directly to the servants later on. You will be required at your division full-time until Ukitake returns."

The noble's words erased what little joy that had surfaced on the girl's face and Renji quickly stepped in before all their efforts so far was scraped into waste. He was just thankful that they were both here awake and well enough to be comforting her. It was certainly not the first time he had seen the face of death, and most likely, nor would it be the last, but it was easily one of the closest looks he had got.

"Just until Ukitake taichou returns, Rukia. He'll be back after a while, Unohana taichou said that herself as well, didn't she? It can't be helped; his illness has worsened, that's expected, but she said he'll pull through."

"…I know." Then Rukia suddenly shot up, furiously ridding her face of any last trails of tears. "I think I'll go and check on taichou before I go back to the division."

She received a small nod from her step-brother and after a moment of hesitation, she reached out for Byakuya's hand then grabbed Renji's with the other hand. Both men looked at each other in perplexity before turning to the petite girl who put all of their hands together. The cobalt globes looked down at the hands entwined, one rough, callused one, one opulent, elegant one, and hers that looked like those of a baby next to the large pairs.

"I'm… I'm so glad that all of you are well, nii-sama, Renji. If… If it hadn't been Hitsugaya taichou…"

The phrase was left to trail off but no one missed what was not said and the men both closed their hands on hers in silent reassurance. Rukia gave a shaky laugh and hurriedly took her hands away to wipe away freshly drawn tears then grabbing Renji by the blanket, rushed out of the room.

"I'll come back tomorrow, nii-sama. Please rest well."

Renji's room was right next to the Kuchiki head's but instead of returning to sleep as planned, the tattooed shinigami decided to accompany his childhood friend to the intensive care. As beat as he was, he had just seen a truthful glimpse of how troubled Rukia was by the incident tonight and leaving her to see Ukitake on her own did not seem such a good idea. The older Kuchiki obviously thought along the same lines because the eyes, the shade of midnight, had found his burgundy ones before he was dragged out of the room, mutely asking him to stay with her. Having woken up only a moment ago, Byakuya was still having trouble moving freely.

The situation was unfortunately worse than the redhead had expected. Numerous hoses and equipments formed an airy labyrinth and the oxygen mask was placed over Ukitake's mouth, the clear dome turning hazy with every strained exhale the long-haired captain took. An artificial pump next to the bed was forcing in the oxygen that the weary lungs were too torn and weak to take in themselves. Renji took a place behind Rukia as she sat down next to her captain but soon blinked when something familiar newly entered his spiritual sense. He cocked his head with a raised eyebrow when he recognised; it was his human friend, Kurosaki Ichigo.

The wine-red irises flickered towards the girl in front of him but the vice-captain seemed to have missed the untamed reiatsu in her concern over her sick captain. Stifling another yawn, Renji wondered what the substitute shinigami was doing here at this time of the day but almost immediately, another yawn followed, this time big enough to make him think his jaw was going to pop, and disrupted not just his musing on the abrupt appearance of the loud-mouthed teen but Rukia's fretting over Ukitake and the redhead scratched the back of his head sheepishly when the blue orbs made a humoured roll at him.

"Renji, go to your room and sleep. I won't be long anyway."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I can't carry you even if you drop dead on the corridor. I wouldn't even if I could."

Renji chuckled and stood up.

"Point taken. 'Kay, see you tomorrow, Rukia."

Waving his hand, Renji gingerly walked out of the room, his eyelids starting to droop down under the undeniable weight of drowsiness. He did not even remember what had intrigued him just a second ago. Thankfully, the walk was not long and when he reached his room, he swore the few steps to the bed were even more difficult to take than the few steps to Byakuya he had forced upon his broken body during their fight before Rukia's execution. Once at the bed, the tattooed shinigami did not even bother to pull back the cover, simply flopping down onto it, and in a flash, he was already out cold, snuggling his face into the soft blanket.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The hell butterfly had led Ichigo straight to the relief station via the shortest route possible from Senkaimon and once inside, it flew through the crowded corridors with ease, graciously fluttering past the shinigamis agitatedly running around. Somewhat comforted by the return of the rhythmical pulse of the ring but still too troubled, the substitute shinigami did not take in much of the surroundings but was nevertheless stunned to see the relief station this hectic. It was a scene that had almost disappeared after the War.

Soon, the obsidian fragility came to a stop in front of a door but before the teen could knock, he heard Rangiku's voice from the room.

"Ichigo, come in."

He arched his eyebrow at the wooden door before opening it to be greeted with a pair of silvery eyes, glancing at him over the shoulders. The brown orbs remained connected with them only for a moment before searching the room for a certain someone, failing to notice the special attire of the vice-captain.

"How did you know?"

"You forgot to hold in your reiatsu."

"Oh. Hadn't realized that."

His reply perfunctory at best, Ichigo did not bother pulling back his reiatsu, or more correctly, he could not and did not care about it when his apprehensive tension was ready to explode at even the smallest of a spark. And he found the one he had been seeking, there was a sharp intake of air, stunned and severely distressed.

"Kimono? …But why is it all…?"

The turquoise kimono that had been his present last year was smeared and splashed with blood, some blacker than the other, some fresher than the other, and the sheer amount of it nearly had his self-control come unwounded completely. All that blood… It could not be Toushirou's, could it?

"Don't worry, most of it isn't his."

"Most?"

His hand closed around the sweaty one automatically and the chocolate pools, shaky but blazing, glared at the quicksilver ones, evidently wanting some answers as to what had happened to his precious beloved. The vice-captain's face morphed into a rather crestfallen look and Ichigo felt his heart plummeting down to his gut. Rangiku did _not_ wear that kind of face.

"He's okay, Hanatarou had finished treating him a while ago. We are just waiting for him to wake up."

"Treating him for what? Didn't you say he was okay?"

"Just the minor damages. He had the poison out soon enough not to be gravely injured."

"What the fuck happened?!"

Matsumoto shook her head as she looked at her captain. Hitsugaya had not even twitched since he had collapsed back in the hall and although Hanatarou had assured her that it was only exhaustion, she was starting to get worried.

"I wasn't there from the beginning so what I've said in the message is pretty much all I know."

"What, Toushirou saving everyone?"

The strawberry-blonde bobbed up and down a few times and the irate teen barely managed to keep his voice civil, aware that whatever the reason had been, it could not have been Rangiku's fault. Nevertheless that streak of feral snarl could not be all completely hidden.

"Why did he have to do it himself? I mean, wasn't there like antidotes and medicines and stuff?"

This time, she shook her head sideways, sighing softly. The substitute shinigami's burning anger was once again aimed at Gotei 13 for the second time - the first time had ultimately led to the destruction of Soukyoku - as Ichigo practically seethed but she could not really blame him.

"It was an unidentified one. Nemu's still working on its component and without knowing that, we can't hastily administer anything. Just prolonging their lives long enough was all the fourth division could do."

Ichigo lowered his head, fixing his gaze on the still form of his baby dragon with frustration and concern, and sat down next to the snow-topped head on the bed. The other free hand came up to gently swipe off the glistening sheet of sweat on the forehead with affection that surprised Matsumoto even now with its intensity, hardly witnessed by anyone in such clarity.

_Calm down, calm down, calm down_; the faint warmth palpable on his fingertips gliding across clammy skin was the first promising sign and he let out a trembling sigh. The velvety skin was far too pallid for his liking, wet with the perspiration that was yet to evaporate, the evidence of how tough tonight had been for his lover; even the quiet respiration grated him with its diminished sound but he trusted the talented medics of the fourth division, especially Hanatarou of whom he had personal experiences.

After taking a few moments to slow down the erratic beatings of his heart and cool his head, Ichigo finally said what he should have said before half-screaming at the vice-captain.

"Rangiku-san, thanks for letting me know."

The weary look turned into a frown.

"I didn't do it for nothing; I need you to keep taichou away from work afterwards. I guess who wouldn't but he's got this odd dislike about the relief station so I'd say out is better than in for him but then…"

"He'd be working before you know it."

"Exactly."

That much had been expected and the exasperated teen had been just about to guarantee the frowning woman that such thing would not happen now that he was here when, speak of the devil, the subject of their conversation and worries started to stir with an almost inaudible groan. There was a couple of cautious breaths as if learning to take the air in and out for the first time before the black lashes fluttered for a moment and then the eyelids were blearily opening, revealing the unfocused teal orbs.

"Toushiro."

Hitsugaya shifted about his hazy gaze at the voice that he would never fail to recognise anywhere at any time now, delicately stimulating his hearing. There was no definite edge to any of the objects in his vision and the harsh light was painful but the messy orange tuft told him enough as to who it was. However the aggravated eyes soon asked for the comfortable darkness in burning stings and he thickly swallowed the dryness in his mouth down the equally dried throat, his eyelids falling back down. His mind was taking a ridiculously long detour to come around and a splitting headache was bashing his head on either side like a military drum roll. Then suddenly, there was a cautious, affectionate caress tousling his hair ever so tenderly and the stoic shinigami could not help the corner of his lips twitching into something of a smile as his pain diminished with every soft touch.

"…Ichigo…"

Ichigo doubted if the captain could actually see him well. The usually sparkling turquoise crystals were matt and foggy, looking eerily void as they vaguely searched for him. Knitting his brows at the stark lethargy on the pale face, he bent down to press his lips against the sweaty forehead.

"Hey… How're you doing?"

The pallid features scrunched into an irritated frown at the question and Ichigo looked up at Rangiku to find his unspoken concern mirrored on her face.

Truth be spoken, Hitsugaya felt… well, he felt like shit really, however much ineloquently that was put. As if the migraine had not been enough, his stomach had just done a somersault although it was not nearly as bad as before. Mostly, he felt drained to the last ounce of his energy and there was nothing he wished for save unperturbed slumber for the next 12 hours, or if he was honest with himself, 48 hours at the very least. However what his sluggish, muddled memory had just reminded him of was enough to force him to deny that single desire.

'Toushiro.'

Hyourinmaru's deep voice resonated from the core of his soul, its restlessness barely masked in the rumbling growl, and Hitsugaya tore his incoherent thought process away from tonight's incident. He needed to thank his soul companion properly for what it had done.

The frosty plain was bare as usual, only the different tones of opaqueness distinguishing the blocks of never-ending ice from each other, and there were thick, grey clouds obscuring the ashen canvas. His inner world looked about to greet a stormy night and the prodigy was not surprised at the foretelling signs of a heavy blizzard. On the far horizon sat the faithful dragon, his ice-scaled wings folded on either side, the bright red eyes keenly gazing upon him.

Thankfully, his soul remained unaffected in the inner world by the physical exhaustion and once near enough to be only inches away from the burning rubies, Hitsugaya laid his hand on Hyourinmaru with a rare, sincere smile, letting his gratitude freely run through their intimate connection.

'Hyourinmaru, you have saved us all.'

'_We_ have, little one, but it is time to rest as you have promised.'

The dainty hand on the frigid scales of the dragon curled into a fist.

'…I…'

"Toushiro?"

Another uneasy voice brought his attention back to the outside world and the prodigy slowly opened his eyes, frowning at the bleak rays of artificial radiance torturing them. It seemed the other had understood his problem as a shadow promptly blocked out the monstrous gleam and when the teal orbs reopened, they found the substitute shinigami hovering just above with badly concealed anxiety on his face. The ends of the pale lips travelled up by a touch as the groggy shinigami found the hazels clouded with qualms before another familiar voice called him from the other side.

"Taichou…"

Hitsugaya would have jumped if he had had any energy left for it. He had not noticed his vice-captain's presence at all until now and the teen's reiatsu softly wrapping itself around him was not helping him to fight down the little blush creeping up to his cheeks as he became aware that Matsumoto had just seen a sneak preview of the unrestrained 'Toushirou' that only Kurosaki had seen.

"Matsumoto."

To his surprise, the buxom woman stayed very much non-giddy, non-giggling, non-teasing, non… non-Matsumoto, basically. She only gave a wide, relieved smile when the emerald globes, yet to find their penetrating glitter again, turned towards her with no apparent problem.

"Taichou, the area's been all properly secured so you have nothing to worry about."

"How are they?"

The reassuring smile wavered a little at the question and Hitsugaya bolted upright in alarm before either of them could stop him. However it was immediately proven to be a bad idea without Ichigo or Matsumoto having to say anything. Vertigo-like dizziness overwhelmed his just-recovered vision and the captain would have flopped straight back quite involuntarily had it not been for the arm that had instantly wound around his waist. A well-toned chest supported him from his back, soothing warmth radiating through the shihakushou and his soggy kimono, and a callused hand softly pressed his pounding head onto the offered shoulder before running down his cheek.

"Toushirou, don't be stupid."

The captain did not say anything, simply swallowing thickly at another small tumbling of his gut as he remained under the teen's administration. The cup of cool water that had been waiting on the stand was quickly passed from Matsumoto to Ichigo who pressed it into the petite hand. Even in his condition, the stubborn boy would probably manage to find the energy from god-knows-where to elbow him if he tried to treat him like a feverish, sick, incapable kid, especially in front of the vice-captain.

The turquoise eyes cracked open again laboriously and much to his relief, the prodigy managed to take a firm hold of the cup. The water was blissfully cold and his parched mouth and throat greedily absorbed the liquid which was soon flowing down like a roll of silk to calm his rebelling stomach and his swirling vision; the sensation of water newly entering his wrecked system was heavenly, to say the least, and Hitsugaya inwardly sighed in content before lifting his head up again. Taking this as cue, Matsumoto swiftly filled him in, in case he tried to get out of bed this time.

"Everyone's safe. Ukitake taichou is in intensive care but they say he'll recover with time. Soi Fon taichou is yet to wake up but it's only because she was the last to come in. I also heard Unohana taichou is planning to keep everyone in here for a few days just as a cautionary measure."

"…I see."

"I'll go and bring Isane. They told me to alert them the moment you wake up."

And with that, the vice-captain dashed out of the room, leaving a flurry trail of pink in her tow. With the bang of the door closing came a muted sigh that would have gone unheard in the echoes bouncing off the blend walls if Ichigo had not been sitting right behind his lover. When the teen gently pulled him back, the snow-topped head easily rolled and nestled at the crook, the captain too worn-out to retaliate, and Ichigo quietly mumbled, making sure his voice did not rise to a volume that would pain his baby dragon.

"You shouldn't be worrying about others right now."

"I-"

"Taichou, it's us!"

A somewhat vexed suspiration tickled his neck before the cool body gingerly left him and the substitute shinigami stood up from the bed without a word. Nevertheless their hands remained linked, placed under the white blanket, and when the seagreen pools did not glare but merely glanced at him, Ichigo only smiled, tightening his hold on the dainty hand.

As relieved as he was, he was not ready to let go of the small physical contact yet because witnessing the extent to which the evening had sapped his Toushiro of the frightening frostiness was nothing but a blatant reminder for him that he could have very well lost another of his dearly beloved tonight. Just the thought of it was enough to shrink his airways to nothing and the fact that he had not been there shattered his heart more than anything else, regardless of the most probable uselessness of his presence in the situation.

The dainty hand was a little colder than usual, a little damper than usual, a little weaker than usual, but nevertheless, it was alive and fidgeting, though whether to get out of his grasp or for more comfortable hold, he could not tell. The unnoticeable squirming did not last long though. The door had slid open and surprisingly revealed Unohana, Matsumoto's strawberry-blonde locks just visible behind her.

"Unohana taichou, I thought you would be resting."

There was a little nod from the healer who approached the bed with the seraphic smile she never failed to keep up even with the notorious 11th division members.

"Kotetsu fukutaichou is doing most of the work. Sotaichou had woken up just before we returned from the hall, and he wished to express his gratitude for your efforts. Of course, same goes for all of us. We all owe our lives to you." Then Unohana lowered her head in a respectable bow for her fellow captain. "Arigato gozaimasu, Hitsugaya taichou."

"Iie. I only did what I had to do."

The other three in the room blinked in confusion at each other but it was not Hitsugaya's expected response that had caused it; it was the unbefitting bitter frown on his face.

"Taichou?"

However what came from the prodigy next did not explain anything behind the incomprehensible scowl that swiftly disappeared.

"How is everyone?"

"…Ukitake taichou will have to stay in the ICU. I cannot yet determine exactly for how long but I do not doubt he will be back to his post in due time. As for the others, they have all been stabilised well."

"I heard we were to remain here for some time."

Unohana caught the real question veiled by the statement and her calm gaze flickered to the orange-haired teen for a split second though her smile did not change at all. If for the best interests of her patient, an exception could always be made.

"Yes. However, we have done all we can medically for you and hence, I am prepared to discharge you if you wish, but under one and one circumstance only. You are to return to your quarters without any detours and take proper bedrest for full three days before returning for a check-up."

Three stunned shinigamis gawked at the head healer and when she nodded in confirmation, Hitsugaya found himself frowning in mild irritation instead of relishing in the unanticipated decision as his fate for next 72 hours was sealed by a far too enthusiastic and determined strawberry.

"Don't worry, Unohana-san. We'll tie him down to bed if we have to."

The courteous smile widened a little when Unohana caught a subtle glare at the teen from the young captain but there was no verbal protest. Instead, a resigned sigh, accompanied by an apprehensive scowl, was taken to be an agreement to the proposal but Ichigo blinked in perplexity, his gaze travelling up from the hidden linkage of their hands to what he could see of the face that was turned away from him in favour of the braided shinigami; he was sure he had not imagined the brief tightening of the clammy hand just now.

"I'd like to see soutaichou before I go."

"I'm afraid that he is now asleep. In fact, all the afflicted are, except us."

"…I see."

"I daresay we all require some time for recuperation, including soutaichou-dono. All the other fukutaichous have now returned to their respective divisions of which the commanding positions have officially been delegated to them for the duration."

The frozen emeralds shifted to the buxom woman next to the healer with great scepticism and Matsumoto grinned with one hand on her hip, the other on her overflowing bosom.

"Hai, taichou! I will be taking care of our tenth, so you can relax and take it easy for the next three days!"

The vice-captain pouted when the disbelief did not disappear. Rather, it was only topped with a quiet snort.

"Taichou, even I can't tumble a division down into bankruptcy in 72 hours! Really!"

"But you will, given enough time?"

There was an awkward laugh at the raised eyebrow and Matsumoto swatted her hands, suddenly finding the blank ceiling the most attention-grabbing thing in the world. Ichigo smirked, a hint of alleviation starting to smooth out the creased forehead at last. It was the same old interaction between the two top-seated officers of the tenth division; the same old indifference to the same old wrongly-centred passion as if nothing had happened.

The last examination before discharge confirmed that all that remained was the residual pain, nausea and weakness, for which Isane took it upon herself to perform some quick, relatively simple medical kidous, and relayed that by the time the effects wear off, the symptoms should have disappeared.

"Should they persist, you will have to return here immediately, Hitsugaya taichou."

"I understand."

Having been placed in charge of the intensive care, Isane took a speedy leave and Unohana also stepped out but not before leaving a warning for her juvenile colleague renowned for his obduracy.

"You may leave when you are ready, Hitsugaya taichou. And please remember that if you are found not to have complied with the terms agreed, I will have no choice but to have you confined here for your own benefit."

The self-appointed carers of the tenth division captain shared a chuckle at the half-stunned, half-dismayed look from the prodigy who slowly nodded; they all knew very well that the detainment warning had not been merely for the purpose of threat, no matter how angelic the head healer's smile was.

Once Unohana left them to themselves, Hitsugaya did not waste any time in flipping the blanket away and pushing himself off the bed. His leg muscles protested against the strain when he landed on the ground but they held out and that was all he needed. He had never liked staying at the infirmary for any longer than necessary, all the more if he needed time and space to think on his own without any disruption. However the rapid departure was halted when the captain realised his faithful zanpaktou no longer rested where he had last seen it and when the irked turquoise eyes glanced over the shoulder in a half-glare, he found it exactly where he had expected it to be; in the hands of the orange-haired teen who swoop down for a light peck on the bleached cheek.

"I'm carrying you instead if you insist on taking this. I'd prefer if you did but it'syour choice."

Ichigo was obviously well aware that his aloof dragon would never let himself be seen being carried out in his arms, although for him, there was nothing else he wanted to do more. Half of him hoped that Toushiro would snatch away Hyourinmaru from him which would give him a pretty good reason to scoop up that lithe body and press it firmly against his but unsurprisingly, the prodigy only rolled his eyes that clearly said 'whatever' and stepped away from him, heading from the door.

"Nice try, Ichigo. Tough luck, though."

He shrugged nonchalantly with a crooked smile, squirming away from the teasing pokes on his side from the vice-captain.

"It's okay. I'll get to hold him for 72 hours anyway."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

As they walked in the halcyon night atmosphere, the pandemonium that had occurred just a while ago seemed like a bad dream, the silent serenity of the inky blackness horribly contrasting the disastrous calamity that had barely been brought down to a close without any loss. With most of Seireitei still unaware of theincident, only the distant sounds of the relief station and the tiredness sweeping through his body served as confirmation for Hitsugaya that it had not been just another twisted dream.

Thin slice of cold silver adorned the bleak sky with its indifferent shimmer, its only companions a handful of feebly twinkling stars. Matsumoto, who was leading the way through the soundless alleys to the tenth division, looked over her shoulder once in a while at her captain who had not said a word since leaving the fourth division, while just a step behind him, brown eyes stayed fixed on the pristine spikes at all times.

The night saunter was not of a long distance and the anxious silence warped the sense of time for the three of them, Hitsugaya lost in his thoughts, Ichigo watching every movement of the white-haired shinigami like a hawk, and Matsumoto atypically quiet. Nothing was said and in the sheer vacuum of noise, even the sounds of their footsteps and breathing seemed to have frittered away long before the sound wave had any chance of leaving the origin.

Unsure of what the captain's silence represented, Ichigo found the hushed journey extremely jarring on his nerves and therefore, could not be happier when the tenth division insignia came into his view at last, boldly printed just below the terracotta-tiled roof. It meant he did not have long before he could perform his own personal, thorough check on his yuki hime and honestly, he was not sure if the scare he had received would leave him even then.

Once at the gate, they took a different route that wound round the division compounds which led them to the quarters through the open space outdoor rather than through the building. Not many knew of the immaculate promenade, for it was connected to nowhere else but the captain's quarters, the stone path more or less brand new; even Hitsugaya rarely had the opportunity to enjoy the serene stroll since he hardly found himself at anywhere but the administration office. The substitute shinigami had heard about it from the prodigy but it was his first time even seeing it because a direct journey to the premises was one you simply did not make if your aim was to see Hitsugaya Toushiro.

It was not long before they were all standing on the grey stone bridge leading to the private residence and as he set his foot on the overpass, the substitute shinigami found his attention inexplicably drawn to the fully blossomed lotus flowers, gracefully floating on the still surface. An eerie shiver ran down his back at the sight; instead of finding their softly illuminated beauty enchanting, he found their shimmering reflections of the ghostly moonlight rather ominous tonight. With a nauseous scowl, the teen tore his eyes off from them, only to find that the captain had come to an abrupt stop with furrowed eyebrows.

"Toushiro?"

"Matsumoto."

The other two turned to each other with puzzlement filling their faces but there was not a delay of a fraction of a second in Matsumoto's reply; it was now more than her second nature, especially when the baritone voice lacked the irritation that more often than not carried the ringing echoes down the miles of corridor she had just fled through, away from the office.

"Hai?"

"Find and arrest Takezoe."

The vice-captain blinked at the sudden instruction and although she had a sinking feeling that she knew the reason behind it, she could not stop the questions.

"Takezoe? Our Seventh Seat Takezoe, taichou? Why?"

The teen's face creased in displeasure when he caught the expression on the bleached visage, the usually milky skin gleaming like that of an illusionary phantom in the frosty moonlight. The incomprehensible look and the deep swirling in the emerald jewels were reminding him of the blank expression the prodigy had worn after killing his sister, something he had hoped to never see again. Though it did not have the devastating emptiness that had hollowed Ichigo's heart out every night he had witnessed it, they spoke of similar bitterness.

Unaware of his lover's growing anxiety, Hitsugaya turned his back on the two, clamping his lips tightly in effort to mute his suspiration. Waiting from him ahead was his quarters, snugly wrapped in much wanted tranquillity with the hopeful promise of delightful rest, behind him, his division yet oblivious to the ugly truth, anticipating the return of its head officer.

"…Toushi-" the cautious call was cut off by the emotionless and monotonous voice that did not befit the reality the following words revealed, shattering the deep midnight's serenity that was nothing but a deception for them.

"He's the culprit."


	22. Illusionary terror

**Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos [#21/?]  
Chapter rating**: PG  
**Chapter specific warning**: None  
**Chapter specific spoiler**: None  
**Chapter summary**: The night comes. And with it, it brings its torture.

**Author's Note:**

First and very short appearance, or rather, sound of Shirosaki. A bit abrupt but here he is. The speech between Shirosaki and Ichigo are in italic and brackets.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. *bear hugs for everyone* Here's my offering for the coming year. Best wishes for New Year!! (And please review- *shot*)

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**:::::Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos by Kanon Ch.21::::: **_**Illusionary terror**_

_**

* * *

**_The hazel rounds were unusually pensive as they fixated themselves on the motionless figure on the other side of the room while the teen took the wall on the opposite side near the door. And between the two sharing the overpowering silence, Satsuki was hastily laying out the futon, the early return obviously unexpected.

Neither Ichigo nor Satsuki could see what kind of expression the prodigy was wearing at the moment as the face was turned away although the substitute shinigami had an idea along with a fair bit of unpleasant certainty that he was probably correct. The arms were tightly locked across the chest and save the imperceptible bobbing of the shoulders, Hitsugaya was like a wax statue. From the way the spiked head was inclined slightly up, Ichigo presumed the emeralds were absent-mindedly gazing at the half-moon that bathed the captain in its cold brilliance. With an aggravated sigh, he hoped that the misty radiance soothed the boy's yet to be healed heart and pride that had just received another fresh slash, because right now, he was too preoccupied with cursing the damn reality to the next life, his range of vocabulary abruptly widening not in the best way.

There had not been a single word spoken between them since the last order at the bridge and as the stifling hush proceeded to calmness with tension before a storm, Ichigo was starting to understand why people found the crushing quietness more oppressing than enraged outbursts.

Nevertheless, he knew that this silence was not to be trifled with, not with his lover's sheer need for it. There was no doubt that the praised mind was presently in overdrive, trying to sort out the disorganised chaos inside. The situation was indeed looking rather grim; a seated officer of the tenth division's had attempted to murder not just one but the entire group of the captains and had very nearly succeeded. It was an act of absolute treason that no pleading would be enough to save the man from execution; even he knew that much.

-x-

"_He's the culptrit."_

_The pale grey eyes widened with disbelief and they were not the only ones either as the sharp intake of air from the teen echoed inaudibly. _

"_How…"_

_The scowl on Ichigo's face deepened as he caught the exhaustion, frustration, anger and disappointment, all fighting to dominate the prodigy's stoic voice. It was faint but the resonances of the psychological battle were surely there and he knew that the vice-captain had detected it as well, the plump lips thinning into a line. _

"_I could not pinpoint it until the last minute but the threads of reiatsu embedded in the poison undoubtedly belonged to Takezoe. His motive is unclear to me but he will find out that his attempt has failed if he hasn't already. Make it haste."_

"_Ha…Hai!"_

-x-

Ichigo finally gave up on holding back the heavy sigh at the tough task in front of him, racking his brains on how to approach his distressed dragon. Hitsugaya Toushiro took high pride in his division, how far it had come under his command, and there was no doubt that the ordeal tonight and the identity of the one responsible would have hit the aloof captain hard.

However, what worryingly raised the level of his anxiety was the fact that his stubborn lover did not even attempt to carry out the all important arrest himself; it was the very testament to how severely Hitsugaya was drained from the incident even if all the other signs were skilfully masked by the unshakable stoicism and _that_ unsettled him more than anything else.

"If you need anything, please call me."

Ichigo nearly jumped at the sudden voice despite its diminished volume and realised that Satsuki had completed her task, now standing just a few steps away from him. It was also then that he realised the words had been directed at him instead of her master; Hitsugaya did now show any signs of even acknowledging her presence, never mind hearing her. Thankfully, Satsuki seemed to have caught the gravity of the situation despite lacking the knowledge of what had caused the unanticipated homecoming and with a last nod, she soundlessly stepped out, leaving behind only a bristle of the hems of her kimono.

The footsteps, just above what was barely audible for normal hearing, grew softer and further, until even the battle-trained sense could not pick it up anymore, and with one last suppressed exhalation, Ichigo pushed himself away rather hesitantly but determinedly from the wall. The night was continually growing darker, the moon rising higher, and someone was going to have to pull the brooding shinigami out of the blinding blizzard if the boy was to get any decent rest that he needed.

In the perfect reticence from both of them, every soft step he took felt like a dangerous tread on crunching shards of broken glass and when he had completed the short yet long journey across the hushed space, the teen almost let out a relieved sigh at the cessation of the fluttering disturbance in the air.

For a moment, Ichigo simply stood there, just a step behind the prodigy who was yet to show any reaction to his approach. The gravity-defying spikes shimmered like fine threads of silvers in the frosty luminosity a mere inch away from his eyes yet what would have usually enthralled him speechless failed to keep the reality at bay this time.

With the moonlight as the only source of light, Ichigo realised he was completely lost as to what to do next just as much as one would lose sight of his path in the darkness that embraced him; in fact, there were millions of other things that he did not know either and perhaps they were the same questions that tore up the icy plain of his lover at the moment. However if there ever was one transparent, glaringly obvious fact to him, it was that his yuki hime should no longer be solidifying into a precious porcelain statue basked in the phantasmal rays and instead find his place in the cosy-looking futon.

Swallowing down the huff of air that had rushed out of his lungs, the substitute shinigami cautiously stretched out his arms and linked them around the slim waist in front of him, the movement smooth and gentle through the thick air like a calm stream of water silently gliding down the channel as not to startle the already troubled captain. However the hazelnut eyes could not hide the disappointment and concern when the absence of any sort of reaction continued even as the tender pressure on the flat stomach had the two pressed flush against each other.

"Toushiro."

The lack of verbal reply had not been unexpected but was nevertheless disheartening and with a steadily worsening frown, Ichigo nibbled his lower lip; _right, so what now?_

"Toushiro, I'm here. Don't shut me out."

An abrupt, taut rigidity spread throughout the small body at the murmured whisper and Ichigo bent down for a butterfly kiss on the sickly whitish cheek, the single quick contact carrying incomprehensible amount of worry and love. However, much to his discontent, all it resulted in was a slight lowering in the stormy gaze that had now gained a hint of guilt. The blood-drained hands crumpled the exquisite fabrics in their fists just above the elbows as if the prodigy was trying to stop himself from shivering or an exploding outburst although the teen knew neither of them was the case. The large teal eyes were making a disaster at hiding the mingled heap of emotions that the young captain was presently subjected to, yet the whole feature in overall was chillingly calm, or should he say exanimate. There was nothing of a twitch even as the taller one's exasperated exhalation glided over the clammy skin, not even when the long fingers softly held Hitsugaya's chin.

"Toushiro."

Relief, whole lot more than what he let on, flooded Ichigo when Toushiro at last obliged to the gentle nudge. What he saw in the sea-green pools was not surprising; irate yet weary confusion at the centre of the surging whirlwind, gleaming threateningly in the ethereal light of the bleak night. He did not waste any time with useless questions. What good was it going to do, delving into tonight's ordeal when even the prodigy did not have the slightest clue on the motive? After a moment of contemplation that yielded no feasible result, Ichigo asked the first thing that came into his mind.

"So what's going to happen now?"

Ichigo nearly gave into the immediate urge to smack his forehead on the window frame for his stupidity; so much for '_what good delving into tonight's ordeal_'. Nevertheless, the question sparked something of life, a dangerous flash, in the frozen globes and he wryly snorted to himself; it was at least a start. The teal orbs fluttered shut for a moment, followed by a small suspiration escaping the ashen lips. The troubled outflow of air sounded like it had been held back for a long time; and it probably was, too.

"We already know of the guilty party and hopefully will have him behind bars soon. Sotaichou will most likely hold a trial as soon as everyone is released."

"Then?"

"…The penalty for any act of insubordination alone is harsh, Kurosaki." There was a short pause as the delicate hand dropped limp from the bleached tuft it had been running through. The voice sounded too tired to carry on, leaving the substitute shinigami wondering if there had been more that the captain wanted to say on the matter but dropped. It was certainly a tone quieter the next time it shuffled the silence around them. "An attempted assassination of _one_ captain would warrant an immediate execution once the charge is proven, let alone all thirteen of us."

There was a growl from the teen whose entire body screamed of enragement as clear as daylight, the menacing hiss not unlike an aggravated snake.

"The asshole deserves it."

_(Good going, King.) _

Ichigo barely managed to stop himself from visibly jumping at the abrupt intrusion of a sneering voice from his inner world. Ever since he had tamed the white beast of his self, Shirosaki - lame name but he had accepted the Hollow was a part of him whether he liked it or not and neither was too bothered with a term of endearment - spent almost all the time with his smirking lips zipped - undeniably rather sulkily but he did - but once in a while, the Hollow could not refrain from sending a biting remark with twisted joy. The teen usually did not stop from entertaining the twisted counterpart of his with instantaneous riling retort, partly due to his own fiery nature and partly because when Shirosaki was not trying to skewer him, he was just as fun to poke as… well, as he himself was for others, really.

_(Shut it for now, Shirosaki. Busy here.) _

A snort, taunting as usual but oddly lacking the cutting edge he had heard every time, followed.

_(Can see that, King. Look at what you've done now.) _

Not that he needed to be told; Ichigo was already thinking that he should have numbed his no good brain with a hard concussion when the thought had first entered his mind as he watched the dreadfully pale face crease even more. Even if it had been a dishonourable act, the offender remained as the tenth division shinigami, at least yet, and a Seventh Seat was no rank to be taken lightly. Although it was obvious the tenth division did not have any hands in what had happened at the banquet, they were going to suffer the backlash of it one way or another, whether it be the morale of the subordinates or the pristine image of the division led by the famed prodigy. Offering an apologetic smile, Ichigo pressed his lips lightly on the cheek once more and made sure he had driven away all the hard edges from his voice when he spoke again.

"I can't help it if I want to strangle the person who just tried to kill my lover. Do you realise what shock I had when I first heard about it?"

The turquoise eyes finally turned towards him and the distant look slowly ebbed away, replaced by something a little more reassuring and a little more understanding as Hitsugaya finally realised that it was by no coincidence that the teen was here. A pang of guilt shot through him as the memory of his birthday relieved itself in his mind. What he had suffered back then was still burnt candidly in him as if it had happened only yesterday and it was most certainly not what he had ever wished for the substitute shinigami to experience; perhaps as a revenge prank but never for real. A subtle shift in the wintry air alerted Ichigo of the faint streak of Toushiro-ness weaving in and he grinned as the captain at last turned to fully face him, the cold gaze minutely softened.

"I assume it was Matsumoto."

Ichigo nodded. "We both owe her a nice thank you later."

There was a weak scoff from the smaller one although the tiny sign of amusement did not reach the bitter eyes and Ichigo had to strain to smile back at the disturbing unbalance on the washed-out face.

"'Kay, you don't have to, I'll take the burden on myself. But that's all for some other time. For now, you should go to bed."

The locked gaze was broken as Hitsugaya defiantly turned his head away without a word and Ichigo did not miss the infinitesimal tightening of the hands.

_Well, not that I thought it would be that easy_.

In fact, it would have terrified him if the stubborn brat gave in at his first attempt. Some things simply never changed, whatever the situation. Ichigo scratched the back of his head with a little tilt; it was hard to decide whether it was good or bad.

He _could_ simply lift his lover up in his arms and plump the boy down on the futon but then none of the possible consequences of _that_ particular action sounded too good. The circumstances were different from the War when he had carried the half-asleep captain out from the debris of Las Noches. Back then, it had been the end of everything; now, it was only the beginning.

Still, actions speak louder than words, don't they? The large hand that had crept up to the cold cheek slid back down again onto the shoulder while the other idling hand rose up for the other side. Forcing himself not to cringe at the rigid feel on his palms, the teen gently pulled the tendo without breaking the deceivingly peaceful silence. The first tug brought the weary gaze to him in the form of a questioning glare. The second tug led to a shift of the blank stare to the persistent hands and the third tug had the icy shinigami giving in at last, the exhausted resignation becoming alarmingly evident on the frowning face.

There was not even a step to take, the gap between them being non-existent, and as soon as the comforting heat enveloped him, Hitsugaya's fingers had uncurled from the damp sleeves before he knew. His body burrowed into the welcoming warmth on its own accord like it was the most natural thing to do and pressing his forehead against the broad chest, the captain finally let the heavy eyelids sink down. The waves of concern from Kurosaki washing over him was practically palpable on his skin and sagging in the embrace, Hitsugaya realised that he could no longer reject the sheer necessity for rest. Yet the sleep his worn-out body demanded would not easily come to his thoroughly tangled mind, making him feel as if his body and mind were almost on different realms.

A quiet, strangled groan left him as the unwanted images from the crimson-stained hall flashed past behind his closed eyelids and with a little shift, the frustrated prodigy placed more of his weight on the human pillar that was all too gladly supporting him. A countdown for the explosion of his head seemed to have already begun and it was becoming increasingly arduous to hold up his body that was all but ready to crumble down onto the floor.

There was no doubt that the reiatsu belonged to Takezoe Koukichiro but even with his talented analytical reasoning, Hitsugaya could not fathom what had made his Seventh Seat commit such a crime. Even in the strict society like theirs, insubordination was not completely avoidable and it had happened from time to time within varying degree. However he found it hard to imagine that an attempted assassination had ever taken place before. It was certainly something new for him even if he counted all the wild rumours that had floated around in his days back at the Academy about Gotei 13.

Takezoe had been the Ninth Seat officer when Hitsugaya had started his time as the tenth division captain, going through two promotions since then. He was a reliable, hard-working shinigami who took good care of the new entrants and many minor businesses within the division, an austere but kind man who knew when to be firm and when to relax with his squad. Trusted by many, liked by even more; definitely not someone you would have expected to turn his poisoned fangs against his superiors.

Another anguished sigh fluttered on his chest and Ichigo could not help but scowl, his eyes clouded with concerns. Restraining himself from crushing the lithe body, he settled for rubbing the small of the back instead. The exhaustion had been apparent in the emeralds from the first time they had opened in the relief station yet his baby dragon was clearly too disturbed, his mind too chaotic, to succumb.

"Toushiro…"

The soft murmur was desperation more than anything, the teen left without an inkling as to what to say. Blindly grasping and raking for words within his limited range was drawing a blank result. With tomorrow's sunrise, the news would travel faster throughout Seireitei than a wild fire through the dried winter forest and even he did not want to think about the kind of uproar it would bring about.

"…Toushirou, you really need to sleep."

_(Lame.)_

_(Shut. It. Shirosaki.)_

The prodigy showed no sign of having heard the soft pleading, feeling almost too drained to do so even if he wanted to. Truth be spoken, he did not need to be told the obvious. If his legs gave out on him at this moment, it was not going to be the first time tonight nor would he find it surprising; aggravating, yes, but surprising, probably not.

The white eyebrows furrowed deeply with vexation. Hitsugaya knew he was missing something about Takezoe, something that he was not quite remembering, but there was not enough energy left to track through the jumbled mess of information right now. He was slowly but surely reaching a point of near-comatose, the cumbersome cloak of drowsiness now far too heavy. The soothing rubs on his back only pushed him closer to the brink, ready to drop him into dreamy oblivion.

The lips that had been tightly clamped in worries curled upwards by an inch with a wind of caution at the small stir in the arms, followed by the cool face burrowing into his chest. The painful tautness was starting to make its leave although Ichigo could not tell whether it was forced by the fatigue or not. He doubted his lover was satisfied with the relatively short brooding but nevertheless, it was the first sign since his arrival that his baby dragon was starting to at least consider resting, voluntary or not.

The snow-crowned head turned a little, the colourless cheek pressed against his chest, as more weight of the captain took him as support, and the teen knew that the small shinigami was once again listening to his heartbeats. Moving his hand up to lazily run through the silky mob of hair, Ichigo took deep, slow breaths to help his heart play its regular melody at a comfortable rhythm, aware of how calming the low beating was for Toushiro.

Time continued to pass in silence, neither of them shifting even a bit. The only movement in the quiet room was the flattened palm adoringly rubbing the back of the prodigy whose hands were now loosely grasping the dark fabric. Not a slightest of breeze disturbed the stillness and the resulting serenity was rather surreal.

The fragile ataraxia gave a way for the effects of his own hectic day to slip in and slowly, it became more and more difficult for Ichigo to reopen his eyes after blinking. However, there was no way he could concede until Toushiro was not just in bed, but peacefully asleep. Paying extra attention as not to alert the captain of the mist of slumber that clung around him, Ichigo was about to give a good shake of his head when instead, he received an unexpected heart attack as the lithe body abruptly crumpled down like a ragdoll without a warning and it was only his battle-trained reflex that saved the shinigami from the unpleasant fall.

"Toshi…!"

The panicked voice was cut short and the surprise in the brown eyes turned to disbelief then to exasperated but concerned affection. After a moment of gazing down at the ghostly face, Ichigo softly kissed the forehead, shifting his arms so that he could hold his lover more securely while the said shinigami remained motionless.

In a short span of a mere few minutes, Toushiro had somehow fallen asleep; _standing_.

A bitter smile twisted the substitute shinigami's face in a bizarre fashion as he carefully lifted the slumbering boy and laid him down on the futon as gently as possible. Without a delay, he stood back up straight away and crossed over to the wardrobe where he easily located two contrasting-coloured yukatas, folded side by side. He immediately grabbed both, not sparing even a fraction of a second for the toy-Ichigo on the shelf.

The view that greeted him when he turned around was like a still picture magically enchanted to capture the glistening mysteriousness of the moment and he stopped dead in his track and stared, momentarily forgetting why he had been in such hurry. Icy moonlight showered on the captain whose pale skin glowed like polished porcelain, the snowy spikes shimmering as if they were doused with silver sparkles. However it only took a little lowering of the gaze to shatter the fairy-tale image, the crusted blood ruining the soothing tone of sea-green. The hand around the yukatas curled tightly into an angered fist and the orange eyebrows knitted so much that they nearly met in the middle. It was maddeningly frustrating that he could not shred that bastard with his own hands.

However the teen soon shook his head and returned to the task at his hand. His steps were feather-light on the tatami floor and once next to Toushiro who was out cold, he started to carefully undress him, pausing now and then for a few seconds to check that the shinigami was still asleep.

Every grasp and every turning was cautious and gentle as if handling a baby as the obi was undone and the limp arms were slipped out of the kimono. With a little lift from the arm that had slipped under the slim waist, the soggy garment was snatched out through the minute gap in a blink of an eye then chucked away to a side carelessly. The procedure was then repeated in a reverse order as if rewinding a video tape, only this time, the turquoise kimono was replaced by the white yukata. One swift swipe down the back had the clothes smoothed out comfortably and Ichigo tied the obi into a loose knot. The hazels darkened at how the prodigy remained utterly oblivious to all even if he had kept the movement to the minimum. Toushiro was not a heavy sleeper by any chance yet there had not been the slightest sign of disturbance throughout.

It was only a moment before Hitsugaya shifted onto his side - old habits died hard - and the teen let out a suppressed chuckle at the scene, rather satisfied with his work. However the quiet laughs died away almost immediately and what little tug there had been at the corner of the lips vanished as the worried gaze surveyed the sleeping shinigami.

_(King.) _

_(What.)_

_(It's starting to storm again here. Two in one day after that long of sunshine, it's a bit harsh on me, isn't it?)_

_(Like I care. Now, stop turning me into a schizo and stay quiet.) _

_(How nice of ya, King.) _

Nevertheless, that was the last of Shirosaki he heard of - at least for the moment - and Ichigo returned his attention to scrutinising the unconscious captain. Knitting his eyebrows at the ugly prospect of tomorrow, he brought his fingertips to the soft lips that had just started to regain its usual pastel pink shade. The touch was nothing more than elusive flitting then slowly, the teen bent down and brushed his lips across the cool ones, the touch coy and feathery as if any harder would break a priceless and delicate glass doll. The feeling of Toushiro's lower lip, swollen and puffy from all the biting, was like a sore thumb but instead of soothing it, he took a quick depart from the fragile flesh. He was not going to take any chance of waking up the worn-out shinigami.

It was not long before Ichigo joined his lover under the comforter, having closed the window and changed into the navy yukata. After a little squirming, he soon settled down with his arm around Toushiro's waist from behind and the moment his head hit the pillow, the fatigue he had kept at bay rushed in altogether. In an instant, the teen was just as knocked out as the prodigy and only the barely filtered moonlight watched over the two intimately woven lovers as they fell into the abyss of the silent darkness.

Only Shirosaki stared up at the grey sky of the bizarre landscape that was his 'home', his face void of the taunting smirk he so loved; in its place instead was a small frown, perhaps of displeasure, perhaps of uncertainty.

Something of that white-haired kiddo his King seemed to be head over heels did not feel right.

However, Shirosaki quickly shrugged it off; it was not too different from what the downpour in June used to be filled with and if that was the case, the King was more than capable of handling it.

He just was not entirely sure if that was all there was.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"…_Hinamori?"_

"_Hitsugaya-kun, I won't let you hurt Aizen taichou… I… I finally got to meet him again and…"_

"…_Aizen… Is this another of your illusion?!"_

"_Of course not, I assure you that this is very much real. I needed my most loyal fukutaichou for this very important war so I had Kaname bring her over. I have to say, this was not how I had planned for you to meet her."_

_Nauseatingly, even the draining weariness had not been enough to let him escape the painful past that his subordinate's betrayal had dredged up. The lab-like room in now-destroyed Las Noches was cruelly vivid just as Hinamori's bright smile for the traitor was. However he remained more or less deadpan to the scene. He was too tired to react to _this_. The same words automatically left his lips but it was as if they were spoon-fed into his mouth, himself only vaguely registering them. But he knew. He knew it would not be long before this heartbreaking nightmare would take full control of what little conscience of his that remained._

"_Hinamori, do you not trust my words? I'm your brother, your only family, we spent all those times together. I became a shinigami and swore to protect you, and you are just going to take _his_ words over mine? The one who tried to kill you?"_

"_HE WASN'T TRYING TO KILL ME!!! HE WASN'T!! He had to, but he made sure I had a chance to live!!! That's why I'm alive right now!!!"_

"_Hina…mori…"_

-x-

Ichigo groaned with irritation and yawned as something incessantly tugged him out of his sleep. He futilely tried to get out of the annoying grasp of whatever it was, pulling the warm bundle in his arms against him, only to realise what the mysterious nag was and the acknowledgement had him snapping awake. The rigid tension in Toushiro's lean body was something all too familiar for him and he could not stop an irate growl when a broken whisper escaped the fitful captain's lips, not at his distressed lover but at the wounds that the brainwashed girl had left behind.

"…Hi…mo…ri…"

The feeling of uselessness was a small price to pay compared to what Toushiro had to go through but it still was detestable. This was one person he most loved and most fervently wished to protect yet there was nothing he could do to stop the prodigy from stepping over the boundary to the distorted phantasmagoria. Gritting his teeth, Ichigo moved around to the front of the restless shinigami, shaking the shoulders gently. Jolting Toushiro awake now would do more harm than good when the hellish dream was apparently in full swing, tormenting the exhausted boy.

"Toushiro, wake up. Toushiro…"

-x-

"_Hitsugaya-kun… If you continue to threaten Aizen taichou, I will stop you even if I have to kill you!"_

_Not bothering to reply, he merely looked at the girl with wounded but calm eyes as his sister ran towards him, her zanpaktou perfectly aimed at his heart with red reiatsu glowing around the blade. _

_Neither of them took their eyes off each other even for a split second as the three-pointed blade pierced his chest. One small step backwards from the pure force behind his sister's forward lunge was all the reaction he gave. His face remained impassive as ever even as the unmistakable feeling of death poisoned his body while Hinamori looked at him with a weak, faltering smile and wide, trembling eyes as if she did not know how to react, totally confused and lost in this world of madness. _

"…_Shi…Shiro-chan… I… I told you I would stop you…"_

_A bitter smile adorned the stoic face as the thick trail of crimson slithered down to meet the blade skewering the dying heart of his. _

"…_Bakayaro… It's Hitsugaya taichou…"_

-x-

"Wake up, Toushiro…. You have to open your eyes now, c'mon…"

Ichigo shook his lover with more force, his voice now becoming urgent. The devastatingly resigned look on the contorted face was clawing at his heart and he could not stop wincing when the twitching fingers snapped into nail-digging fists and the eyes scrunched shut. The distraught captain's nightmare had just hitrock bottom.

Soon, there were signs of Toushiro slowly returning to reality and with great effort, the teen erased the saddened scowl out of his face. That ugly, pain-etched look should not be what greets his baby dragon that had just gone to and back from hell.

As he had expected, the black eyelashes shook like a leaf for a second before the teal orbs fluttered open and hazily searched around the room in lost bewilderment, drained and empty as if they could not care less about what they had just seen in the twisted illusion. Ichigo waited patiently for the blank gaze to fall upon him and flashed his usual lopsided smile when the pale face morphed into a guilty frown, realising that the substitute shinigami had been roused from his sleep.

"…Ichigo…"

"Shh… It's okay. Do you think you can go back to sleep?"

The soft voice was almost inaudible even in the quietness of the night and Hitsugaya weakly smiled, letting his eyelids to slide down again at the tender caress on his forehead. There was not even a faintest hint of annoyance in the warm brown eyes that were still half-fogged from the lingering drowsiness and the prodigy could not help but inwardly thank the complicatedly entwined fate that had led him to Kurosaki Ichigo before the bloody pandemonium.

"…I think so…"

The teen was relieved beyond words at the slightly mumbled words. He had been worried that the forgotten insomnia would return to haunt Toushiro; once the damn curse kicked in, there was nothing that could help the captain and it became a sadistic and torturous waiting game until the body could physically no longer cope and was forced to shut down. What then followed was coma more than sleep.

The callused hand left his face and Hitsugaya cracked his eyes open just enough to see the substitute shinigami climbing over him then they were closed again as butterfly kisses were showered all over his face.

"Kurosaki, what…"

The half-hearted retort was quickly lost as the warm lips landed on his softly. The contact was firm but light and it stayed at that; a simple contact. There was no lusty nibbling or no knocking from the wet tongue. Two pairs of lips shared their warmth, just barely leaving each other before coming together again, and every touch pushed the hurtful memories that much far away. After a few times of these little touches, Hitsugaya finally rolled his eyes with a scoff and pulled away a bit to look at the love-struck idiot with a raised eyebrow. Ichigo only grinned back and fell back onto the futon on his side, embracing his lover tightly.

"Better?"

"You are such a dolt."

"No, I'm your prince charming on a white horse, yuki hime."

There was a snort somewhere below, followed by a smack on his chest, and Ichigo chuckled, patting Toushiro's back.

"We'll talk tomorrow. Now, back to sleep. Tired, right?"

Hitsugaya did not give any verbal reply, only nuzzling into the crook of Kurosaki's neck and the hold around him tightened further; it was as powerful as any barrier could get against the psychological demon that he currently lacked the energy to fight back. The luring caresses continued on his back and slackly grasping the deep blue fabric in front of him, Hitsugaya closed his eyes, the lips twitching upwards faintly as he felt another adoring peck landing on his cheek. Then before either of them knew, they were already drifting across to the dreamland, wrapped in each other's scent.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

It was at the dead ofnight that there was an unexpected presence in the silent room. There was quick glancing around the area then a cold stare fell upon the orange-haired teen, deep in his sleep. The quietness was broken by a contemplative hum, quiet and thoughtful, but frighteningly devoid of emotions; or perhaps merely masking them to perfection. Then the eyes vanished, the room returned to the previous serenity, and none was the wiser of the mysterious intrusion.


	23. Love is never easy

**Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos [#****22****/?]  
Chapter rating**: PG  
**Chapter specific warning**: Mushy ending as usual  
**Chapter specific spoiler**: None  
**Chapter summary**: Taking care of a patient is never an easy task, especially if the said patient is your damn stubborn boyfriend.

**Author's Note**:

After a long silence, here's finally the next chapter! *shot* If I am to be honest, I actually haven't had chance to work on OM for absolutely AGES. …In other words, I can't promise when the next update will be. *shot again* But, but, it's a long chapter, this is!! *puppy eyes*

Before we begin, this is very belated to be saying this but I probably should have said there is one-sided Nelliel to Ulquoirra…O_O; And… it seems this fic might go even more AU than it already is… with a lot of OOCs… *frowns*

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**:::::Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos by Kanon Ch.22::::: Love is never easy**

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"Ulquoirra, I've been looking for you! Where have you been?"

The melancholy Menos stopped in his tracks and turned the bone-covered head just enough to catch the fluttering tendrils of matt turquoise. The bottle-green gaze was harsh but there was no faltering in Nelliel's smile; whether Ulquoirra noticed the subtle sad darkening of the sepia eyes or not was a different matter.

"Out."

Nelliel's eyes drifted to the hem of the long white coat, faintly speckled with fine dusts but otherwise pristine.

_Las Noches again, Ulquiorra?_

She barely held back the sigh that had reached the tip of her tongue. It was no longer the majestic palace of the obscenities that roamed this realm but nothing more than a pitiful collection of massacred walls and ceilings.

"…Kazana's been missing since yesterday. I thought you should know."

Ulquiorra remained indifferent to the news. After all, it was not the first time the bubbly oddity had disappeared. Moreover, Kazana returned without fail, looking very satisfied with himself; or at least that was the aura he gave off behind the diamond-shaped mask. The ex-Espada never made any comments on the erratic evaporation because frankly, it led to more good than bad. The heap of bizarrely jovial energy would be doused with the fulfilment, accompanied by the thick scent of blood, and the underground hideout would be graced with peace and quiet, spared of boredom-induced havoc; until the cycle repeated itself again, at least. The thought would have made the chalk-white face contort in a scowl, if only Ulquiorra knew how to wear expressions.

"He always came back. Let him be."

Tiny wrinkles appeared between the furrowed turquoise eyebrows at the clipped answer. Kazana's exuberance was something of an over-milled gossip topic due to its scarcity in this world; there was not a single resident here that had not been on the receiving end – victim – of the overflowing mischief. And it was precisely that juvenile high spirit that worried Nelliel because it did not bode well with patience or rules, the two prominent aesthetics that this hideout ran on.

"Ulqui-"

A moment of stunned silence, and then the sandy eyes curved in a wistful and rather derisive smile, staring at the empty space that the Ex-Espada had occupied until just a second ago. The sigh that finally escaped her did not betray any of the emotions rising inside the half-ram.

_Perhaps, I really am just too stubbornly stupid to think that something would change someday. _

The hollow chuckle that quietly resounded in the empty corridor vanished into silence in a blink of an eye, no one no longer present to hear the veiled sorrow.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_Thump, thump, thump, thump…_

The sound continued on, getting louder if anything, and the substitute shinigami was amazed that it did not wake up the incredibly light sleeper in his arms.

It was such an unbalance, the chaos that the rapid melody displayed clashing horribly with the phantasmal tranquillity of the dim glow that was softly trickling in through the opaque window. Ichigo would have scoffed if he had half a mind to spare for it. Instead, he focused on keeping himself still, trying to rein in his rough-edged reiatsu before the sharp grating would rouse the resting captain.

The young genius of Gotei 13 was tucked safely and securely under his chin, the eyes firmly closed with the warm lips parted just enough for the quiet flow of the air; and oh, how relieved he had been at the sight that he had begun to take for granted as a mere daily occurrence. The alleviation had hit him harder than tsunami and he was, if he was to be honest, still in a state of all new confusion between shock and relief.

The frightful shudder in his breathing did not slip him and caused the teen towince slightly. The brown eyes scrunched shut at the frantic beating of his heart, fiercer than the thundering drum roll encouraging the warriors during the time of old wars. The spiked hair, so pure and so silky, tickled the sensitive skin of his neck, and the front of his yukata was lightly creased in the loose grip of the small hand. The back that his hand was splayed on rose and fell at a steady rhythm that matched the soft fluttering that warmed just where his bounding pulse beat.

_Thump, thump, thump, thump…_

Last night had been nothing but fitful tosses and turns after the brief sleep for him. The fatigue of the day had managed to drag him back to slumber at odd moments but witnessing the old torture tearing his lover apart had perturbed him far more than Toushiro would ever know. And when he opened his eyes this morning and acknowledged the lithe frame, the warmth, the _life_, in his embrace, the nightmarish realisation came crashing down on him _hard_.

Just yesterday, in one moment, this little bundle of bliss could have been so cruelly snatched away from him forever; and what made him grit his teeth even harder was that he would have been none the wiser until the dreadful news reached him, perhaps hours later.

It echoed like a mad shrill, bouncing off the invisible walls in his head. _This_ was what his life was now for, this was what his life _was_, because he had decided that Hitsugaya Toushiro would be the one he would live up to his namesake for. And he had been far too close to having it viciously robbed away.

A choked groan escaped Ichigo before he knew and he immediately clenched his teeth, willing his entire senses to focus on the small shinigami heating his side. If he had his way, he would have pressed their bodies so tight that not even air could dare to separate them but that would be for later.

Unfortunately, his efforts turned out to be all in vain as the hands trapped between them started to sluggishly crawl up his chest at that moment, followed by a little squirm, and a tiny smile barely touched Ichigo's stiffened face. The diminutive tug at the lips grew more noticeable when the teen loosened his hold and pulled back a bit; the loosely curled fists were rubbing the remnants of sleep out of the blurry turquoise eyes and damn, Toushiro looked too adorable in the early sunshine for his own good.

"Ohayo, yuki hime."

The half-hooded teal orbs stared at him hazily at the gentle morning greeting, still shrouded in a drowsy frown.

"…Ichigo… …!!!"

A litany of swear words nearly shattered the precious serenity as Ichigo jumped at the sudden movement that should not have been able to come from someone who had conked out on his feet last night. One moment, Toushiro was perfectly relaxed, looking all but ready to return to sleep, then the next, something of white was whizzing past him in a flash as the captain jolted upright as if a bucket of ice cold water had been poured over him.

"Toushiro!"

Luckily for Ichigo, the abrupt move was all Hitsugaya could manage and the white tuft plummeted into the clawing hand with an involuntary groan. It was a chance the teen did not waste, immediately sitting up and snaking his arm around the slender waist. Though he could not see much of Toushiro's face, it took no genius to guess what kind of look adorned it, if the rigid tautness running through the hunched back was anything to go by.

"Slow down, it's still too early for you to start flying around."

The lids slid shut over the irritated emeralds, the aggravation in the suspiration obvious. _That_ had been a mistake, and a bad one, at that. The hasty move had intensified the prodding headache to the size of an elephant and even in the swimming blackness, Hitsugaya could feel the total loss in his orientation. The comforting caresses on his lower back were only vaguely registered at best while his body tried to recover its bearings.

"…Come here."

And even before the soft words had reached his spinning head, a callused hand fell on the captain's throbbing temple and without a thought, Hitsugaya sagged into the familiar touch, only half-aware of his surroundings yet. The affectionate touch did not diminish the damned pain by much but he could feel his soul effortlessly lapsing into blissful repose and there was no reason to oppose the gentle pressure pressing his head against the toned chest. There was a feeling of soft, warm cotton and a bit of bare skin on his cheek that made his face heat up a little but Hitsugaya did not make any move to get away from the small skin-to-skin contact. The hand that had been entangled in the bleached locks came around to take over the furious massage with gentler rubs and rather exasperated whispers tickled the scowling prodigy's ears.

"Now, let's try this again. Ohyao."

Hitsugaya scoffed, his eyes clamped shut, but decided to entertain the carrot-top nonetheless.

"Ohyao, bonkura."

"Thanks for confirming you're my Toushiro." Ichigo chimed, rolling his eyes. However, he immediately grew serious, his hand never ceasing to draw the warm circles. "How do you feel? Do you want to lie back down?"

If the normally sharp-sensed shinigami had been in the right frame of mind, he would have caught the subtle strain in the worried voice, but as it was, Hitsugaya was only just recovering from his own antics a second ago. Slowly easing out of the deep scowl under the love-filled administration, the captain silently shook his head. The heavy pulses at the temples were starting to die out to something more endurable, the dark vertigo finally dwindling down.

"No, I'm fine. I just moved too abruptly."

"Because I really hadn't noticed that."

Ichigo grinned crookedly when the emeralds cracked open in narrow slits and glared at him from underneath the thick black lashes. Nevertheless, there was no sign of a punch in his stomach despite his sarcastic reply.

"Does it hurt anywhere?"

The mob of snow shook sideways but the teen remained unconvinced; it was hard not to when one knew Hitsugaya Toushiro as well as he did. What Ichigo did not know was that for once, the stubborn captain was being truthful, or at least partly.

The light agility he was usually associated with was yet to fully return but the nausea had indeed disappeared as Kotetsu had said. A few seconds of stillness had reduced the pounding to nothing more than dull throbs and while muscle aches persisted here and there, they were not enough to hinder his movements. The lungs easily welcomed in the crisp air, sliding smoothly against the ribcages, the refreshing rush an ironical reminder of last night's painful chocking. Only the general grogginess weighed him down a little more than he would have preferred; not that he would be admitting it aloud to anyone any time soon.

The rest of the night after the torment from his past had been close to unconscious oblivion, driven by overwhelming fatigue and the reassuring presence of his lover who had no doubt cocooned him all the while. It had been so halcyon, so perfect, that it had momentarily brushed away yesterday's disarray from his mind, leaving Hitsugaya wondering why on earth Kurosaki was with him in his bedroom; until it hit him like a lightning flash. Then, it was as if a dam had been demolished, the memories flooding in just as the masses of violent water would engulf the defenceless land below.

"Take it easy, Toushiro."

The teal eyes merely blinked at the empty air in a silent frown then the prodigy pushed himself away from the gentle hold, failing to notice the slightly wounded, but mostly worried look on Ichigo's face. A moment of focus on the circulation of his reiatsu was encouraging, confirming that there was no disturbance in the flow.

It was only a little but enough for Ichigo to notice the little drop in the temperature around them and the hazel irises contracted in fretful discontent. His quiet sigh obviously went unheard by the captain whose reiatsu he now could feel tingling his constantly leaking one and he dropped his head on the narrow shoulder more tiredly than he had intended. The reflexive incline of the snow-toped head to accommodate him made the teen smile dimly and he turned just enough to press his lips on the milky skin, the touch raising goosebumps all the way down the neck. The refreshing iciness swiftly disappeared and Ichigo smirked into the small hollow of the collarbone.

Yes, he definitely had Toushiro's full attention now.

"Any problem?"

"No. I told you, I'm okay."

_Like hell I'm gonna believe that._

Deciding that it was at last the time to carry out his own examination, Ichigo lifted his head and took in every detail of the face that was slightly creased in annoyance. Every curve, every line was carefully scrutinised by intense brown eyes while the teal ones glared at him albeit placidly; it seemed the prickly shinigami was going to let him have his moments for the time being.

The truth was, Toushiro did look much better than yesterday. The cheeks had regained its usual pastel tint of rosiness and the lips that he had made a mental note about were back to normal enticing plumpness. It was the same old picture of his beloved brat scowling at him as if nothing had happened and before he knew, it had already shaped his eyes into crescents, his lips a lopsided smirk.

"Still a bit too pale even for you," a white lie was no crime, "but I admit you look better than yesterday. You really not sick or anything?"

"No, I said I'm alright."

The low voice was already exhibiting irritation and Ichigo mentally groaned when he noticed the tension of the impending argument mounting in the morning air. Just as Urahara had said, his yuki hime was going to give him a fair bit of grief despite the promise they had made to Unohana; to be honest, Ichigo was quite positive that the captain had long forgotten such an inconvenient detail.

Well, he said he would take care of this frayed dragon; it was time to take the rap for his words.

"Toushiro, you are not leaving this room today. Or tomorrow, or the day after, as matter of fact."

Annoyance, almost on the brink of turning into deadly fury, was clear in the silent yet intense glower. Not that it had any desirable effect on the teen arching his eyebrow; sometimes, Hitsugaya Toushiro could not possibly get any more predictable.

"There are crucial matters that need immediate attentions, Kurosaki." came the snarling growl and Ichigo countered it effortlessly.

"Like?"

"What else?!" Hitsugaya snapped, looking quite scandalous at the absurd question, "I need to check if Matsumoto had found Takezoe and make a report to soutaichou."

"Hell butterflies are there to be used and the old man would still be in the fourth division."

There was a sweltering flash in the blazing teals that would have made Ichigo flinch had he not already anticipated it.

"If soutaichou is in the infirmary, then there I will see him! He needs to hear this from myself in person, not by some insect, you moron!"

In the landscape of off-kilter buildings, Shirosaki tousled his hair, his eyebrow raised. It had been only a handful of minutes into the day and the King was already at the limit of keeping his short temper in check. With an indifferent yawn, he turned to his side and closed his eyes. A lovers' spat was never as fun to watch as fighting and the lightning and thunder were easier to ignore if he was not awake to see it.

"In case you haven't noticed, Toushiro, you fell asleep _standing_ last night. You really think I'd believe that you're all well after seeing that?"

"I feel _fine_. You are being even thicker than usual! This is a matter of urgency, so let me go before I force you to!"

Much to the captain's dismay, the order had a complete opposite effect as the clutch around the waist only grew tighter. The brown eyes hardened into metal bronze as they narrowed further; of course Ichigo understood the gravity of the situation, perhaps much better than the obstinate prodigy who was once again disregarding his own condition for the goddamn duty that never seemed to release him.

"Unohana-san is keeping everyone in the relief station, right? Send Rangiku-san a hell butterfly. I won't stop you from that even if I want to, because you'll just be too unsettled and that won't do you any good. But I don't see what difference it's going to make if you report now or later when Yama-something guy can't do anything about it until discharged anyway!"

The response was just as much of an incensed snarl, the turquoise orbs now glowing hazardously. Hitsugaya's keen spiritual sense was also picking up the unstable stir in the substitute shinigami's reiatsu, only adding up on his ill-temper.

"Then you do not know how it works in Soul Society! Do not put your nose in what you don't know!"

"What, the bloody warped system that tried to kill my friend unfairly? Yes, I don't! And who the fuck cares?!"

In the end, a little spike in the wild reiatsu came perilously close to snapping the frizzling tension, the owner distinctively less adept with the fine art of control, but the captain remained undaunted, fluently taming it with his own more out of the reflex than anything conscious; it was an instinctive reaction that had developed through the intimate interaction with the teen for over a year. However, both of them remained unaware of what their reiatsus were doing free of their will and Hitsugaya shot a genuine glare that Ichigo had not seen for a long time aimed at himself, an alarming threat dripping thick from the grunted words.

"Kurosaki, I have an officer of mine who is about to become one of the major criminals we have ever had. I. Have. To. Know."

"You really expect me to just let you waltz out of here as if nothing happened?! After collapsing on me? After that nightmare?"

"Yes, because I'm perfectly well now and I'm taichou who has responsibilities and duties unlike _you_!"

Something snapped inside Ichigo that moment. The chocolate eyes lost what little patience that had lingered, replaced by ferocious whirlwinds. However, it was not the consuming inferno in those narrowed irises that had Hitsugaya paralysed as if encased within his own power.

"You're right. I'm _only_ a substitute shinigami who has _nothing_ to put up with. But whatever you say, I'm going to keep you in this room because I need to take care of my lover who is fucking damn stubborn to do so himself!" And before Hitsugaya could retort in any way, the fears, the worries, the dreads that Ichigo had been harbouring for hours were spilling out of his mouth in a rush of frustrated screams before he could stop them. "Fuck, Toushiro! You nearly _died_ last night. Do you realise that? A few hours ago, for all I know, I could have lost you in a completely separate realm!! I've never stopped you from doing your job but not this time, Toushiro, not this time! When, or are you _ever_ going to spare even just one minute to think of _us_?! Of me?! Am I not the one you _love_?!"

"…!!!"

In a blink of an eye, all sounds were sucked out of the sunlit room, the descend of the silence so swift that it was as if someone had pulled out the speaker plug instead of turning down the volume. A pair of impossibly widened emeralds were frozen on the trembling hazel ones that could not hide the wounds any more, the small hands at a standstill on the arm winding around the waist; even breathing seemed to have come to a stop.

The shock at the teen's candid outburst gradually changed to devastating guilt. The lips parted open but nothing came out. Hitsugaya did not know what to say, the shame he felt inside yet to reach the stunned irises.

All the while, nothing but the poisoning had occupied his mind, not even the one that needed his reassurance more than anyone. Yet Kurosaki had let him be, smiled and comforted him even at the ungodly hour, had held him close just as tenderly as ever.

_And this is the payment I've given him._

"…Ichigo…"

A hint of startled disbelief in the mocha eyes told Hitsugaya that the honest words had not been in Ichigo's plan and it made his heart clench painfully. Kurosaki Ichigo was a giver, a far too generous one too, however tough he acted; and once more, he had taken all for granted. Even after all those times with Ichigo, works and duties took over his mind in a snap effortlessly. For decades they had been his one and only priority but that was no excuse; this was _Ichigo_.

He could not even notice how distressed and wounded his lover was by his ignorance until it was blurted out in the clearest transparency.

Then the words he had said prior to the outburst hit him like a brick; '_I'm taichou who has responsibilities and duties unlike _you!'. He, out of all people, had just demeaned the substitute shinigami's status to entirely unbefitting nothingness.

"…I…"

There was something of horridness that was knotting his gut and Hitsugaya found himself closing his mouth again with an uncharacteristic gulp. Still lost forwords, the teal eyes averted for a moment but they immediately shot back up when the teen wordlessly withdrew his arm and the prodigy suddenly found himself in more panic than he would ever admit. However the hand simply raked through the unkempt orange mob as Ichigo heaved out a long, flustered sigh then immediately returned, and Hitsugaya barely held back a shocked gasp at the magnitude of relief that swept through him at the little patch of warmth back on his stomach.

However, his body that had grown so accustomed to that infallible heat of Kurosaki Ichigo was a lot more honest than his stupid pride was; before he knew, his hand had grasped the one he had momentarily thought he had lost.

Ichigo blinked in surprise at the firm grasp before a weary smile flitted across his face. Leaving his gladly captured hand where it is, he brought the other up to rub the back of his head sheepishly. It honestly had not been his intention to let his mouth fly like that. Sure, Toushiro's behaviour had been disheartening but old habits died hard. He understood that it was just what Hitsugaya Toushiro did. Nevertheless, he did lose it back then and the words had been rolling off his tongue even before he could register what he was half-screaming at his baby dragon.

An awkward silence stretched out between the two who had abruptly come to their senses. Ichigo was not entirely sure whether he had just made the situation whole lot worse, though by the way that the dainty hand closed around his, he guessed not. Then a quiet sigh punctuated the lift of the snow-topped head and a voice at the back of his mind whispered that it might not be the best idea but Ichigo could not help but smile.

"I'm sorry."

As stubborn as he might be, Hitsugaya did not coil away from admitting his wrongdoings and accordingly apologising once he recognised them, somehow never losing his grace in the process. Perhaps it was the way he acknowledged his faults, thus his imperfectness, despite his famous status as a tendo. However, this time, clutching the callused hand yet unable to speak any more, he realised that no matter how hard he tried, he could not look at the brown pools in spite of knowing that he should. The throbbing that had scampered at the shock returned in full force all of a sudden and with the deep regret darkening the sea-green eyes, Hitsugaya was just about to look down again when a tender touch stopped him, brushing across his lips softly like a feather.

The caress instantly had the two finally locking their gazes and what Hitsugaya saw in the hazels had him nearly toppling over into the embrace that he knew would sincerely welcome him even now. The ugly claws that had ruined the brown eyes were long gone, the only things filling them understanding and what he thought was entirely unnecessary from Ichigo; an apology.

Nevertheless, that one single gesture of affection rapidly melted away the jumbled mess of tension, anger and guilt, and Hitsugaya leaned into the roughened palm just slightly with a small sigh. It had been only a diminutive increase in the pressure but it was enough to curl Ichigo's lips up just that much more.

"What I said earlier… I should never have…"

"I know." Ichigo quickly intervened, entangling his fingers in the silky tendrils. "I know."

And for a while, they stayed quiet, neither of them wanting to break the much lighter and more companionable silence. It was not their first argument, by no means; the obstinacy they both possessed was an easier kindle to set fire on than volatile alcohol and the equally hazardous temperamental traits only made things worse.

However, in the end, they returned to where they belonged without a fail, whether it took minutes or days. Once they had time to cool off, it was hard for either of them to remember why they had so defiantly rejected to take a step back when that was all it took for the bashful chuckle that would end everything just as quickly as it had begun.

It was fragile yet precious love that had found them after much peril and pain on both sides and it was certainly not something they were going to lose to their own temper; or to anything else, for that matter.

A few minutes later, Ichigo decided it was safe to touch on the all important subject once more, his voice subdued to nothing more than a whisper.

"Toushiro, we did promise Unohana-san three days of bed rest. You've got detainment order already written up, ready to be signed, and I've got Rangiku-san breathing down my neck."

Ichigo nearly laughed out loud at how strangely the prodigy's face morphed, stunned consternation clear in the turquoise pools.

"You forgot about it, didn't you?"

"…Damnit."

"I'll take that as yes." It was not much of surprise, really. "So, will you stay? Or are we going to have to go through that all over again?"

Hitsugaya gazed into the hopeful chocolate eyes, still amazed at how honest they were. Ichigo might be able to keep his mouth shut when he wanted to but he would never be able to lie no matter what. Those eyes were always so sincere and genuine; how the hell the idiot had pulled off the act during their pretended kidnap would remain a mystery. And when Ichigo cocked his head and blinked a little unsurely, looking for all intention and purposes like a curious bird, Hitsugaya could not help but scoff lightly despite his inner conflict between his two equally important aspects of his life.

"Toushiro?"

"…I will. But…"

"…But?"

The narrow shoulders rose tensely then fell with a troubled exhalation and when the prodigy resumed, Ichigo knew that there would be no more compromise on the matter.

"I will call Matsumoto to here but I must go to the fourth division afterwards. It can't be delayed any longer than it already has been, Ichigo. It will reflect badly on me and my men that I had known who the culprit is but did not report immediately just because of a bedrest order and I can't afford that for the sake of my division."

Ichigo caught his first name in a rare soft manner that always had him melt inside and gave a resigned smile; he had to admit that was not a perspective he had considered.

"You are going whatever I say, aren't you?"

The teal eyes nearly averted away but in the end, stayed locked, brimming with a mixture of regret, remorse, but most profoundly, the determination, and Ichigo shrugged, more casually than Hitsugaya had expected. The substitute shinigami was not known for compromising, especially when it concerned his health.

"Fine, but after that…"

"I know."

Ichigo raised his eyebrows at the prompt confirmation before grinning with satisfaction. The small hand subtly curling around his fingers was a sure sign that the rest of the day would be spent in peace.

"Right, then. Since we've come to an agreement without demolishing your house, let's get ready. Guessing you aren't seeing Rangiku-san in your yukata, am I right or am I right?"

Feeling the first ray of sun ghosting over his cold skin after a short but intense tempest, Shirosaki cracked his golden eyes open in slits then lazily stretched out like a languid cat; finally, sunshine after the storm.

In the outer world, one Hitsugaya Toushiro was yelping uncharacteristically as he found himself hanging in midair in a blink of an eye, moreover in a bridal style by a strawberry _fool_. The sudden lift had been the last tug that the loose obi had needed to come undone and Ichigo nearly dropped the boy who flailed to catch the strip of cloth fluttering onto the floor. Needless to say that the attempt failed and the teen chuckled at the flushed groan and the rosiness blossoming on the cheeks.

"Toushiro, stop squirming, I'm going to lose my hold at this rate."

"Let me down unless you are going to pick it up for me."

"You think I'd do either?"

The teasingly arched eyebrow was met with a shower of irritated daggers but no physical violence; apparently, the temperamental dragon was feeling generous.

"Obviously not." Then with a roll of eyes, Hitsugaya added for the sake of it, "Pervert."

Hence, the obi laid discarded on the floor while Ichigo strode over to the door which the cradled captain grudgingly opened, still grumbling about the insatiable perversity of the hormonal teen.

When they returned to the bedroom, freshened and the all important obi still missing, they were amiably surprised to find a note on the door thatbreakfast was waiting for them in the lounge that the couple favoured. It seemed that Satsuki had taken upon herself not to disturb the two as much as possible.

"She didn't have to do this…"

"She's been at this job for long time."

"Hmm. So, breakfast?"

"Yes, but I'm retrieving my decency first."

Ichigo only grinned mischievously when Toushiro sent a glare at him. The quick shower they took seemed to have given Satsuki just long enough to lay out the meals because the bedroom was yet to be made, the obi in question still next to the rumpled blanket. Leaning against the doorframe, the teen watched his lover plucking it out when a sudden inspiration had him chuckling quietly.

"You know, we should have breakfast in bed sometime."

A confused frown rose on Hitsugaya's face at the suggestion, the white yukata now firmly wrapped around him and safely sealed.

"Breakfast in bed?"

"Yeah, it's this thing that guys usually do for their girlfriends, say… on Sunday mornings or, maybe, after spending a night together. It's basically fixing her simple breakfast before she wakes up then bringing it to the bed for her."

"I hope," Hitusgaya started in a flat tone, "for your sake, that you are not insinuating two things that I think you are in that explanation."

The mocha eyes blinked in genuine puzzlement for a second before lighting up with realisation, soon followed by amusement splitting the face in half. Hitsugaya growled in annoyance; he could practically feel the idiot's mirth licking at his skin.

"You _are_ my yuki hime, after all."

"Shut up, moron. Damn that stupid boat."

"Bless that lovely boat. Ouch! Toushiro, will you refrain from violence? I'm your boyfriend!"

"I don't deal with stupidity, Kurosaki."

Then the captain strode out as if to head over to the lounge, only to come to an abrupt halt at the doorway. The quick reflex saved Ichigo from walking right into the already irritated dragon and he was about to complain like any other person would do in such situation before his jaw snapped shut. The air around Toushiro had swiftly changed once more and while it was not cumbersome, he still did not like it.

"…Kurosaki."

"Yeah?"

Hitsugaya took another moment, trying to decide whether to put the question forward or not; he could see how the conversation would go and it was, most likely, only going to give the strawberry more ammunitions.

"Toushiro?"

"…Where's my kimono?"

Ichigo hesitated for a moment at the unexpected question before jerking his head towards a far corner of the bedroom where a sad excuse for clothes lied in a heap. The matching coloured orbs followed the clipped gesture before landing on the shadowed garments in a scowl but the words that followed were not what the teen had anticipated at all.

"I know it's a bit ruined but you could have folded them better than that. It must be all wrinkled now."

Ichigo looked at the sorry-looking mass in discontent before shaking his head.

"Doesn't matter. I'll get you new one if Satsuki-san can't fix it." Then he remembered just how it had got so soiled and winced, instantly changing his words. "No, I'll get you new one anyway."

"Don't."

"What?" Ichigo asked reflexively at the curt instruction but Toushiro was already walking away from him towards the lounge. Quickly catching up, the teen tilted his head in confusion and cast a glance over his shoulder to the bedroom.

"Toushiro, I don't mind getting you a new one. I don't know if you know but that one is-"

"Bloodied, I know." Hitsugaya cut in without stopping. "But you don't need to get me a new one."

Ichigo frowned and went silence for a minute, his eyes fixed on the small shinigami. The emeralds were defiantly gazing straight head-on and there was a faint touch of blush dusted upon the porcelain cheeks. Then the tightly clamped fists caught his attention and finally, the strangely hurried footsteps.

The penny dropped and a huge grin stretched Ichigo's lips ear to ear.

"Toushiro, there's a reason, isn't there?"

"What if there is?" The captain retorted and walked just that much faster.

In the barren land of ice, Hyourinmaru snuggled his nuzzle in the cold wing, muffling his amused chuckles. The flustered embarrassment filling his little master was colouring the sky in the most interesting colours he had seen in a long time.

"What is it, Toushiro? What's so important about that kimono?"

The rapid footsteps came to an abrupt halt at the question and Ichigo only gave a knowing smirk when the widened turquoise eyes whipped around at him. He was definitely improving on reading, perhaps not between, but beyond the lines.

"So??" Ichigo quipped, bending down until his face was only an inch away from the flushed one.

"So what?" If Hitsugaya Toushiro was not such a stubborn and unshakable person to begin with, he would have squeaked at the amused brown eyes boring into his at such intimacy.

"Tell me."

"No. And get off, I want to have breakfast."

"Nope." Ichigo insisted, getting only closer if anything. By now, the prodigy was more or less flat-pressed against the wall. "It will probably cost as much as buying a new one to clean it, Toushiro. And I'm pretty sure that it's not about me spending the money, if your reaction just now is anything to go by. It's the kimono."

Hitsugaya could not quite hide his surprise at the analysis, moreover, spot on, and the widening of the usually cold turquoise eyes brought more amusement in the brown ones as the substitute shinigami continued.

"And as far as I know, you're not the type to get attached to something like clothes."

The white brows furrowed deeply in a tight scowl but Ichigo only planted his hands on the wall on either side of the captain, locking him within his space. The averting of the anxious emeralds and the little nibbling of the lower lip were signs he had seen often enough to recognise; it was not going to be long before the quick-thinking shinigami decides that the time and effort to be wasted on escaping the situation were not worth it.

_Curiosity rarely kills the cat these days_, he thought amusedly.

"I've got my reasons. Is that not enough?" The prodigy asked in irritation and Ichigo shook his head, this time, with a softer smile.

"I want to know because there's obviously something you're fond of in that kimono and it's nowhere near frequent enough that I come across something you actively show it. I must've done something right so I want to know what it is."

The candid – but not quite wrong – explanation resulted in another vibrant wave of red flooding across the scowling face then as the dark tone started to die out, the prodigy turned his eyes away and muttered in near whisper, evidently aggravated by the situation.

"I had started to get a weird feed from you through empathy since my birthday. I couldn't tell what it was at the time and then I got the kimono from you."

The teen was not sure how this was going to explain the aloof shinigami's affection of the spoilt kimono but nodded nevertheless in silence.

"You… gave me a lot of things during my stay and the kimono was the start of it." Then Hitsugaya smirked, his brow lifted. "Of course, at the time, I was not aware of your, shall we call it, hidden intention."

"Hey, there was no hidden intention, don't make me sound like a crazy pervert!!" Ichigo shouted in a flush and the agile prodigy took the chance to slip out of the entrapment. Patting off imaginary dusts from his yukata, Hitsugaya returned to heading for the lounge, certain that he had gotten the carrot-top's mind off the topic. That notorious short attention span was sometimes truly god-sent.

However, it was not to be his day as for the third time in the short span of a few hours, Ichigo successfully stunned him in his track; this time, in both the literal and figurative sense. The captain instinctively turned around when his wrist was caught in the callused hand, only to realise he should have not

"Wait, you still haven't told me-" Then the teen suddenly stopped and Hitsugaya watched in growing horror as comprehension and disbelief became stark in the saucer-sized brown eyes. "…It's… because that was… my first present to you?"

Apparently he should have not asked so candidly because the stoic face exploded in a crimson volcano before a barely held-back punch landed square on his stomach, making him keel over.

"Shut up. Breakfast."

Ichigo groaned in authentic pain, rubbing the sore spot, but soon came dazed and elated laughs, sincere from his adrenaline-rushed heart. The brightly lit eyes followed the receding back of the lithe frame clad in purity, dancing in happiness, and with a little wince, Ichigo stood up and chased after the fuming dragon.

"Toushiro!!"

"What?!" The captain snarled without looking back and Ichigo grabbed the squared shoulder, turning the flustered shinigami around. There was barely enough time for Hitsugaya to slap the offending hands off before he was silenced with a firm but sweet kiss and he almost – almost being the key word here – loathed it when his eyelids automatically fluttered shut.

"I'll take the kimono back with me," Ichigo breathed as he left the swollen lips, the remnants of his delight still pregnant in the shimmering hazels, "I'm sure there's nothing our awesome technologies cannot do."

Hitsugaya glowered, more at the grin plastered on the stupid face than the actual person wearing it, and then pushed them altogether away; a journey to breakfast had never been so perilous.

"Whatever. I don't care."

"Of course you don't." Ichigo quipped, fully knowing what a dangerous poke that was. Which meant, when a hard – and he meant _hard_ – kick came, sending electricity down his shin, he could not say he was exactly surprised. It did not mean it did not hurt, though.

"Breakfast. Do we agree?"

"…Ouch… Yes." Ichigo groaned.

"Good."


End file.
